Fisheries ministers decide on fishing allocations
Today and tomorrow, the Fisheries Council will decide on the fishing allocations for 2011. These determine how many tons of fish the European Member States are allowed to catch in 2011. Kristof Geutjens – President of the Council Fisheries working party – explains how the decision is made.
Every year the European Commission and the 27 Member States of the European Union must reach a compromise on the total quantity of fish that can be caught, this is called TAC or Total Allowable Catch. Together they determine exactly how much fish of each species can be caught in the various areas of Europe’s seas.
"Every year this proves to be quite a delicate balancing act," says Kristof Geutjens. "I always compare it to a 27-figure combination lock where the combination itself changes each time one of the figures is adjusted. The aim is to find a compromise agreement that meets the approval of enough Member States to reach a qualified majority."
The work of the Council Working Party
Negotiations start with the Commission's TAC proposal, based on scientific advice. "The TAC proposed by the Commission this year is fairly severe," Geutjens says. "But then, a great deal remains to be done to make the fishing industry more sustainable."
Subsequently Geutjens discusses the Commission proposal in the Working Party on Fisheries. The task of this working party is to do the preparatory work for the ministers in the formal Council Meeting. "Member States often also take into account other factors, such as socio-economic consequences, and therefore request different quota’s from the ones proposed by the Commission," Geutjens continues. "For indeed, the Member States need to take into consideration the fishermen and the fishing industry in their own countries."
"After six meetings of the working party, we assembled all the remarks and observations made by the Member States in one single document. This document is referred to as our "bible". It tells us exactly which Member States want to catch more of which species, and why. This bible is a very useful document for the Fisheries Ministers, as it enables them to see the relations between the figures at a glance.”
Marathon Council Meeting
Today the Fisheries Ministers will be discussing the TAC dossier during the formal Council meeting. They have to reach an agreement on the exact allocations for each targeted species.
"First the Commission presents its proposal, after which the Ministers, each in turn, explain which points of the proposal they disagree with," says Geutjens. "Then the meeting is adjourned and the Member States individually meet with the Commission and with Flemish Minister for Fisheries Kris Peeters, who is currently President of the Council. During these trilateral meetings we search for a compromise to which both the Member States and the Commission can agree."
After the trilateral meetings the Presidency and the Commission continue to consider possible compromises. "Around midnight the Member States delegations go home, we however, have a few more hours of work to incorporate the modifications in the text."
The following day, all Member States meet again to listen to the joint proposal from the Commission and the Presidency. The Ministers are then given the opportunity to explain why they do or do not agree with the proposal. "It is very important to listen carefully to the Member States during the plenary session, thereby getting a feel for what they can find acceptable ”
If necessary, a new round of trilateral meetings will be called, and a new compromise text will follow. "As soon as there are enough Member States to reach a qualified majority, the compromise can be adopted," Geutjens concludes.
