Fisheries Council (Hansard, 13 April 1994)

§ Mr. Jack

I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers on 12 April in Luxembourg, together with my noble Friend the Minister of State, Scottish Office.

The major issue before the Council was a proposal arising from the Act of accession for Spain and Portugal. The Act requires that the provision for the Irish box must end at 31 December 1995. In addition, the Council can adopt any necessary changes in the light of a review of the operation of the provisions of the Act. Any changes decided on have to apply from 1 January 1996.

As the House knows, the Council has been addressing the issues raised by the terms of the Act at successive meetings since June 1993. At its meeting yesterday, the Council concluded the first stage of this work by adopting by qualified majority a presidency compromise proposal on the procedure to be followed for amending the current arrangements applying to Spanish and Portuguese access to the waters of the other member states. It sets out in legal form the principles to guide the Commission and the Council in settling the detailed provisions.

The regulation ensures that no changes can be made to the current rules governing Spanish and Portuguese fishing until the replacement arrangements have been set out and agreed by the Council. All the changes will have to conform to the key principles of relative stability and no increase in fishing effort. In formulating the changes, the Commission will also have to provide specifically for sensitive zones, in particular to take account of the need to balance resources and the fishing effort deployed. The area of the Irish box is noted as such a zone where fishing effort will need to be closely monitored and any necessary measures taken.

Another issue which is of particular concern to United Kingdom fishermen is the position regarding areas in which Spain and Portugal are currently not allowed to fish, such as the North sea. There is no obligation on the Commission to make any proposals for access to these areas. But if it does, access can only be given to stocks not currently subject to total allowable catches and would have to be on the basis of track records in a recent and representative period. Spain and Portugal have had no track record in the North sea since the date of their accession. This is a satisfactory outcome which fully protects the interests of the British fishing industry and provides a sound basis for the detailed negotiations over the coming months.

The Commission tabled a report on the ecological impact of drift netting, together with a proposal. The Council had a first discussion on the issues raised, including a suggestion that a derogation for use of drift nets longer than 2.5 km should be reintroduced. I made clear my firm opposition to this and the importance I attach to taking environmental implications fully into account. The 184W derogation was not renewed. These matters will now be considered by experts taking into account the scientific evidence.

The Council discussed the current difficulties in the European fish market. Although no single factor was identified as the underlying cause, there was widespread agreement that an important part of the present difficulties is due to structural factors, notably the continuing imbalance between fishing effort and fish resources. The Commission has undertaken to prepare a full analysis of all the elements affecting the market for consideration by the Council at its next meeting in June.

The Council agreed by qualified majority a regulation on direct landings by third country fishing vessels, subjecting them to the same rules as member states' fishing vessels, notably in relation to existing hygiene controls, and to some aspects of the market regime. The market regime provisions will not apply to fish for processing or to landings by European Economic Area vessels. The United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands voted against the regulation because of reservations about its practicality.

The Council also agreed autonomous tariff reductions for certain annual quotas of whitefish imports.