Speaking during a meeting with a group of NGOs, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius stated that the Commission would increase transparency in the negotiating process leading to the annual TACs and quotas being set.
All elements of the Commission documents complementing the proposals on fishing opportunities, such as ‘non-papers’, will in future be made public when they are transmitted to the Council. These non-papers on fishing opportunities complement the initial Commission proposals by making available new scientific advice or the results of international negotiations, which were not yet available when the initial proposal was adopted.
This is intended to make the negotiating process more transparent from the Commission’s side.
‘When EU Fisheries Ministers decide on the allocation of fishing opportunities, a lot is at stake; for the environmental sustainability of fish stocks and the marine environment, as well as the economic sustainability of our coastal communities,’ Virginijus Sinkevičius said.
‘This is why it is important that such decisions are taken in a transparent way. An open dialogue with the civil society and our stakeholders will also help us to reach as many of our citizens as possible. With the publication of all elements of our working papers, this dialogue will become more transparent.’
