Commissioner Joe Borg, will be in Peterhead tomorrow to participate in a two-day conference on fisheries control and compliance organised by the North Sea Regional Advisory Council and the Scottish government with support from the Community Fisheries Control Agency. The Commissioner will give the opening address to the conference tomorrow morning. He will also take part in a question and answer session with delegates at the end of the morning’s proceedings. Mr Borg’s visit will begin this evening with an informal dinner for participants, hosted by the Provost of Aberdeenshire, Bill Howatson. Early tomorrow morning, he will meet with the heads of the six existing Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) onboard a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency vessel. Establishing more effective control and developing a culture of compliance are one of the European Commission’s political priorities for fisheries in 2008. On Monday, the Slovenian presidency convened an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss fisheries control, and the Commission’s plans to table a proposal for a major overhaul of the main regulation governing control under the Common Fisheries Policy later this year. At this meeting, Commissioner Borg said that fostering a culture of compliance is key to sustainable and equitable fisheries in Europe.
