EU citizens’ representatives endorse a sustainable future for the Baltic Sea

Press Release Date: April 28, 2015

Location: Madrid

Contact:

Marta Madina | email: mmadina@oceana.org | tel.: Marta Madina

Today, a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg voted on the multiannual management plan (MAP) for fisheries in the Baltic Sea – the first MAP under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The plan concerns the long-term managing of major commercial stocks of cod, sprat and herring, as well as providing measures for species of some flatfish, but its overarching objective is to end the overfishing of Baltic stocks.

“The plan, for the first time, offers a multispecies and sustainable approach that is significantly more effective than previous plans. It is a vital milestone on the EU’s path to ensuring Baltic fisheries are both environmentally and economically sustainable and can provide a stable source of food and jobs,” says Lasse Gustavsson, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe. “Today’s vote is important as it paves the way forward and gives us hope to be able to reach the CFP objectives of rebuilding fish stocks by 2020 if the decision makers can adhere to their commitments during the upcoming final negotiations.”

Background information

Last week, the Council of Ministers for fisheries reached a political agreement on a general approach for the multiannual management plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea. The plan will now undergo rounds of negotiations between the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the European Commission before taking its final shape. The plan is an important piece of legislation being the first of a new generation of management plans adopted under the reformed CFP and as such should serve as an example for future management plans in other regions.

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