The Green Paper has suggested that the forthcoming reform should be both radical and deep and should put European fisheries on an entirely different footing, including a transfer of decision-making responsibility away from Brussels towards regional management bodies and the fishing industry itself.
According to the paper the main areas of the engagement are: CFP conference in Rome in March which the NFFO and other member state fishermen’s organisations discussed with senior Commission officials the main themes of the reform; A seat on the “Ad hoc” Committee established by the Advisory Council for Fisheries and Aquaculture to act as the main forum for discussions on CFP reform. The most recent meeting was on 13th May.
There is a series of meetings have been set up between Defra officials and the NFFO on the UK’s position on CFP reform. It is said that these will cover a reformed decision making process, fleet capacity issues, Relative Stability, the future of inshore and offshore fisheries, and fisheries science.
There will be a working with the RACs to define their advice on the direction of CFP change. Most recently the Federation chaired a North Sea RAC meeting in Brussels on self-regulation. There is a presentation to a policy forum in June in Brussels at which EC Commissioner Joe Borge will be the keynote speaker. The Federation has until the end of the year to influence the Commission’s thinking on the main areas of CFP reform.
