Protracted negotiations between the European Union and Norway have finally culminated in agreement on reciprocal access and quota exchanges for 2023.
The deal has been a long time coming, with some extended wrangling between the negotiating teams of both sides, and with Irish fishermen’s organisations in particular protesting forcefully about Norwegian demands.
The EU and Norway took major decisions to significantly limit the herring catches in the Skagerrak and the North Sea to protect the Western Baltic herring stock. The quota shares of the parties remain unchanged.
Reciprocal access for jointly managed North Sea stocks decrease slightly. The EU gets access to catch up to 85% of pelagic stocks included in Norway’s quota for Atlanto-Scandian herring, while Norway obtains access to EU waters to catch 150,000 tonnes of blue whiting.
The EU and Norway also took the opportunity to secure a balance of exchanges of fishing opportunities. Among other stocks, the EU will receive 9150 tonnes of Arctic cod for 2023, while allocating 74,000 tonnes of blue whiting to Norway.
The parties also signed the arrangement under which Norway allocates annually fishing opportunities to Sweden in Norwegian waters of the North Sea.
‘This agreement secures reciprocal access to waters and important fishing opportunities for fishers on both sides. I welcome the jointly agreed measures to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks, especially for the recovery of Western Baltic herring,’ said EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.
‘While challenges remain, this agreement sets the basis for positive cooperation on both sides.’
