The EU proposal for a new fisheries policy has been strongly influenced by Nordic input. The Nordic Council is pushing to maintain a common Nordic front in this area in further negotiations in the EU.
The EU Commission’s proposal for a new fisheries policy was presented in July. The emphasis is on creating more sustainable fishing, banning discarding of fish, and also involving the fishing industry much more in the management of marine resources. The proposal also stresses the importance of decentralised control as close to the countries as possible.
It reflects point for point the input the Nordic Council gave the Commission back in 2009. Now the Council’s Environment Committee is pushing in order to make sure that the Nordic views are upheld in the further handling of the matter in Brussels.
“Now that the fisheries policy is being discussed in both the European parliament and among the EU governments, it is important to stick to the principles of sustainability and decentralised management that the Nordic Council has been fighting for”, says the Chairperson of the Council’s Environment Committee, Ann-Kristine Johansson (S-Sweden).
The Environmental Committee now calls on the Nordic countries to come together and analyse the consequences of such proposals in a wider Nordic context, to be better equipped in future negotiations.
The Nordic Council met 20-21 September and will gather for its annual summit from 1-3 November in Copenhagen. The EU’s fisheries policy is expected to be adopted no later than January 2013.
