WWF - Fisheries Ministers agree position on CFP reform

16 May 2013 11:59 PM

After pulling yet another all-nighter, European Fisheries Ministers finalised their negotiating mandate on the current EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform. Despite the agreement between Members States being a positive step forward, Ministers unfortunately have failed to match the ambition of the European Parliament and the public to bring forth a proposal that will ensure sustainably managed fisheries in Europe for future generations.

Helen McLachlan, Fisheries Programme Manager at WWF-UK said:

“The devil is in the detail, but in this case it’s the lack of detail, as Fisheries Ministers decided on a legally neutral text with few binding timelines and concrete measures. If implemented as such, poor management of our fish stocks and the knock on effect it has on our seas is likely to continue for yet another decade. On the opposite side of the coin, the public is demanding an ambitious reform that would deliver new fishing laws aimed at restoring fish stocks, through transparency, fixed timelines, accountability and enforceability.

"This is a once in a decade opportunity to safeguard fish stocks and the communities that depend on them. The Fisheries Council has played its hand, it's now up to the European Parliament to decide whether they accept or reject what the Council is offering.

"Europe’s fish stocks, the wider marine environment and the fishermen who depend on it for a living need to see the Council and Parliament deliver a new CFP that will ensure a sustainable future for them. Ministers should be asking themselves if what they are offering today really does this."

Notes to Editors

1 WWF's More Fish Campaign
http://www.wwf.org.uk/morefish