§ Mr. QuinnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Fisheries Council held in Luxembourg on 22 October. [57154]
§ Mr. MorleyI represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 22 October together with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Western Isles (Mr. Macdonald).
Major progress was made towards agreeing measures to amend the fisheries control regulation paving the way for their formal adoption by the end of the year. The proposals are aimed at strengthening control arrangements throughout the fisheries sector, including the more effective monitoring of third country vessels operating in Community waters, improved transparency of enforcement activity, a stronger role for Commission inspectors, and increased co-operation among Member States. Importantly, I was able to secure agreement that Member States may apply national designated port controls to all vessels landing into their territory along with more rigorous Community requirements for vessels landing abroad where designated port arrangements do not operate.
Political agreement was reached on supplementary measures which may be introduced in those Member States affected by the decision at the June Fisheries Council to phase out the use of high seas drift nets. Such measures must be confined to fishermen who suffer a real loss as a result of the drift net ban. They are additional to the options already available under existing structural provisions. A decision will be taken on implementation in the UK after consultations with the fishermen concerned.
156WThe Council had an exchange of views on the future of structural policies in the fisheries sector in the context of proposals tabled by the Commission in March for reform of the EU Structural Funds within the framework of Agenda 2000. Discussion focused in particular on the need for simplification of procedures and for an appropriate balance between measures to achieve restructuring of national fleets and those specific to regional programmes. The Presidency will be reporting these concerns to the General Affairs Council, which is responsible for taking decisions on the Agenda 2000 framework. However, the Fisheries Council will itself return to the subject in the context of a further proposal expected from the European Commission shortly which will set out the detailed proposals for fisheries structural measures.