Oceana: promising political agreement reached on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy

Press Release Date: May 30, 2013

Location: Madrid

Contact:

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

The European Parliament and Fisheries Council reached a political agreement early this morning on the main elements of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Oceana congratulates MEP Rodust and the Irish presidency for their enormous accomplishment in ensuring that the future Common Fisheries Policy will restore the health of our seas.

“As a first time full partner in the reform, the European Parliament has been a tough defender of the environmental side of the CFP. Today’s outcome shows that we can trust that fisheries are in good hands with the Parliament playing a role in designing this policy and future implementation”, stated Xavier Pastor, executive director of Oceana.

The future CFP will have clear objectives to ensure that stocks are rebuilt above levels which can produce the Maximum Sustainable Yield, that discards are banned and that the fishing industry slowly transitions into fishing in the most sustainable way.

“The success of any policy depends on two things: what’s written and how we implement it. The agreement found this morning is a step forward compared to the current policy. The 2002 CFP was by no means perfect, but a better implementation would have offset many of its shortcomings. This time, to make reality happen and ensure that EU fisheries policy becomes a success, Member States will have to walk the talk,” added Amelie Malafosse, policy advisor at Oceana.

The deal still needs to be approved by the Plenary of the European Parliament. The reform of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which is the financial component of the CFP, is still wide open and should be as ambitious as the agreed text.