§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the outcome was of the Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 17 November; and if he will make a statement. [139733]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Fisheries Council met in Brussels on 17 November. I led the UK delegation, accompanied by Rhona Brankin, Deputy Minister for Rural Development in the Scottish Executive.
The Council discussed the future policy for management of fleet capacity, building on the Commission's mid-term review of the operation of the current Multi-Annual Guidance Programme (MAGP IV). I argued the need for maintaining and strengthening a range of controls in order to bring fishing effort into better balance with fish stocks. I also argued that, given the current over capacity in the fleet, grants for constructing vessels are inappropriate. The Commission will include fleet management among the issues in its Green Paper next spring on the revision of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The Commission reported recent scientific advice that key cod, whiting and hake stocks were close to collapse. With other member states I stressed the seriousness of this situation and supported the Commission's approach that urgent action was needed to ensure effective recovery plans were introduced for 2001. I welcomed the Commission's intention of looking at a mix of measures to aid recovery and the fact that the fishing industry was already being involved in developing these measures.
The Council discussed the impact of fuel price rises on the fishing sector. I strongly supported the Commission in opposing unilateral national operating subsidies and welcomed the Commission's statement that measures taken by member states had to comply with state aid rules, and that they were taking action as appropriate to this end.
The Council discussed a Commission proposal for a three-year continuation of Community financial support for fisheries enforcement. Final decisions on the proposal will be made in December. The Council agreed to a two-year rollover of existing arrangements for control and enforcement action under NEAFC in the North East Atlantic, and to a proposal the Community financial assistance for an observer scheme on tuna boats in the Gulf of Guinea. I argued that while we could accept these proposals, the Community should take a larger role in carrying out control in international waters under the responsibility of regional fisheries organisations. We pressed for decisions to be taken on this and other control 228W measures by June 2001. We also pressed the Commission to seek effective controls on over-fishing of Rockall haddock at the NEAFC annual meeting this week.
The Council welcomed the Commission's report on the operation of the Common Fisheries Policy in 1997-98, and received a report from the Commission on the latest contacts with Morocco to renegotiate a fisheries agreement. I strongly supported the Commission who pressed certain other member states to ratify the UN Agreement on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. I joined other member states in pressing for Community action against the Galapagos Agreement, which does not respect the UN Law of the Sea and discriminates against the Community fleet.