While addressing the plenary session on the issue of reforming the Common Fisheries Policy Dr Borg said that it promises to be a long and, possibly, a complex journey, yet one that is essential. He told that the main objective is to achieve a healthy and sustainable marine environment capable of generating wealth for our fishing industry and nutritious food for our citizens.
It is mentioned that the Commission’s recent Green Paper on CFP reform has sparked a debate involving policy-makers, stakeholders and European citizens at large. While shifting the focus towards Maximum Sustainable Yields, the ecosystem approach and integration with environmental policies, there is a need to reconsider conservation management instruments as well, and especially how fishing possibilities be allocated.
It is told that TACs worked well as an appropriate means of sharing wealth. But it is too static to handle TAC where the fisheries are mostly mixed. There is a system of individually tradable rights functions with TACs, but it could also function with effort. Dr Borg said that there is a system that functions entirely on the allocation of fishing effort for stocks or groups of stocks that are fished together. Such a system could work by allocating every vessel with an allowance in days at sea, which the vessel owner would manage throughout the year, and thereby providing the skipper with the ability to land all catches.
Dr Borg said that there is a challenge is to find the right combination of tools to meet our objectives and targets, taking account of regional specificities. The second area to be highlighted is the economic dimension. First of all, there is a need to recognise that fisheries is only one small part of a much bigger economic picture. This is important to remember when it comes to discussing subsidies, for instance.
Besides, there are other options that Dr Borg pointed out at and also speak about channeling some EFF funds in this direction. He told that the whole ethos of this reform is that it is free of pre-emptive approaches. The Commission is ready to engage in discussion with all interested parties, listen to their views and learn from their experiences.
