To maintain the ecological balance of the oceans and the region’s economic conditions the European Commission has decided to slash EU fishing fleet.

The European Commission yesterday declared operational the Mediterranean Regional Advisory Council (RAC). This RAC is the seventh stakeholder-led body created to give the fishing industry and other interested parties a…

The European Commission today endorsed a paper put forward by Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg containing an analysis of the achievements and shortcomings of the functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy further to its reform in 2002 . While Commissioners agreed that the 2002 Reform package had done much to improve the way EU fisheries are managed, a number of challenges continue to exist. Short-term decision-making coupled with irresponsible behaviour by certain parts of the industry, continued to penalise those fishermen who act for the common good. The result is a vicious circle which has undermined both the ecological balance of our oceans and the economic profitability of the sector. The Commission therefore proposes that a full review of the CFP should be launched immediately, in order to prepare the ground for a major reform of the institutional framework of European fisheries management.