§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 27 November; what the Government's stance was on each issue discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement. [19644]
§ Mr. MorleyI represented the UK at the Fisheries Council on 27 November.
The Council discussed the Commission's proposal to extend the multi-annual guidance programme (MAGP IV) for one year until the end of 2002, and will return to the subject at its next meeting.
The Council reached political agreement on rules for the restructuring of the Spanish and Portuguese fleets which used to fish in Moroccan waters. Many of the vessels in these fleets have been tied up in port since December 1999, when the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement expired. The rules govern the use of the 197 million euros which have been allocated to fund, during 2002 and 2003, the destruction of vessels, conversion to non-fishing uses, export of vessels to third countries and conversion of vessels to other fishing methods. The UK and a number of other member states made it clear that they expect Spain and Portugal to ensure that vessels modernised with EU money under the measure will not fish in EU waters.
There was a qualified majority in the Council in favour of a decision applying provisionally the renewed EU-Mauritania fisheries agreement, whose predecessor expired on 31 July 2001. The agreement provides for 1092W fishing opportunities in Mauritanian waters over five years at a cost of 86 million euros per year. Along with a number of other member states the UK, in supporting the proposal, made clear that we consider there is substantial room for improvement in the way that such agreements are negotiated and monitored: I stressed in particular the need to make sure that they provide value for money, promote environmentally sustainable fishing and are coherent with Community development policy. I made it clear that we are looking for a thorough debate, within the framework of the forthcoming review of the common fisheries policy, on the handling of such agreements.
The Council noted the Commission's report on the monitoring of implementation of the CFP and the Commission's communication on serious infringements of the CFP rules during 2000. The Commission urged greater consistency among member states on matters such as the size of penalties.
The Council also noted the difficulties being experienced by the Commission in reaching agreement in the Community's negotiations with Norway, Iceland, the Faroes, Greenland and Russia about fixing and allocating the total allowable catch for blue whiting in 2002. There was agreement that the Community should continue to argue for a responsible approach to exploiting this pressurised stock.
The Council was given an indication by the Commissioner of how he intends to launch his proposals for reforming the common fisheries policy. He intends to bring this forward in the form of a number of separate legislative proposals in the course of 2002. He intends to start by launching a "road map" of the Commission's plans in the new year, once the European Parliament has delivered its opinion on the Commission's Green Paper on the CFP review. The Commission then envisages that there might be an orientation debate at the Council in April, with subsequent Councils considering different elements of the legislative proposals.
The Commission and the Presidency both urged member states which had not yet completed their national procedures for ratifying the UN Straddling Stocks agreement to do so as soon as possible. This is required so that the EU can ratify the agreement which will now be entering into force in December.