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JANUARY 2005

Common Fisheries Policy

1. EU Maritime Policy Task to present a maritime and fisheries Green Paper in 2006.
2. Commissioner Joe Borg confirms the end of support for construction of new vessels.
3. EU Commission to approach Morocco regarding re-establishing Fisheries Agreement.
4. EU support for tsunami-hit countries may involve transfer of EU fishing vessels.
5. Regulations set the 2005 amounts of intervention assistance to the EU fishery sector.
6. Fishers get market compensation for low price of yellowfin tuna.
7. Quotas for eight deepwater species are re-allocated
8. EU Council sets out new fishing opportunities and technical measures for some fisheries.
9. EU ratifies re-establishment of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.
10. EUROSTAT reports EU fishery production down by 17% since 1995.
11. European Commission wins case against Ireland for breach of quota rules.

Fish hygiene

12. Rapid alerts were notified for 35 consignments of hazardous fishery products.
13. New guidance on traceability for third country suppliers
14. Commission to inspect 20 third countries in 2005 for fishery product hygiene.
15. New regulation on minimum processing conditions for fishmeal
16. New approach to sampling and testing procedures for heavy metal residues.
17. New toxic equivalency factors for measuring level of dioxin-like PCBs


Common Fisheries Policy

1. European Commissioner responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg, indicated that his Maritime Policy Task Force will present a Green paper in 2006 outlining policy initiatives in relation to integration of maritime issues within the wider structural and regional policies of the Community.

2. EU Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg announced that the European Fish Fund (2007-2013) would be available for upgrading of safety, hygiene and living conditions on board, but ruled out a return to support for construction of new vessels.

3. Commissioner Borg also indicated that the Commission is planning an approach to the Government of Morocco regarding the possibility of re-establishing a Fisheries Partnership Agreement.

4.The Agricultural and Fisheries Council announced that the EU will support the fishery sector of the countries of south-east Asia affected by the tsunami on 26 December 2004. The EU initiative includes an impact assessment, identification of reconstruction needs and may be followed by the transfer of small fishing vessels from the EU to the affected areas.

5. The Council passed regulations setting the 2005 amounts of withdrawal, storage and carry-over aid, providing the framework for intervention price support for some fish species.

6. The Council decided to grant a compensation of EUR24/tonne to fishers of yellowfin tuna, due to a price depression in late 2003.

7. Quota arrangements for eight deepwater species caught in Community and international waters were re-allocated, to account for the new Member States joining in 2004.

8. The EU Council passed Regulations setting out the fishing opportunities, technical measures and reporting conditions for deepsea species, Antarctic fisheries, French Guyana, NAFO and Greenland fisheries.

9. A new convention re-establishing the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission was ratified by the EU Council of Ministers. The Convention significantly modifies the original 1949 convention, to include stronger focus on fisheries management objectives.

10. EUROSTAT released a new report on EU fisheries statistics, indicating that fishery production (in both the EU15 and the EU25) fell by 17% between 1995 and 2002; aquaculture now accounts for 17% of production.

11. The European Commission won a landmark case against Ireland when the European Court found that Ireland had failed to introduce quota management rules, failed to prosecute vessel masters in breach of quota allocations, and had not prohibited fishing when its quota was exhausted.


Fish hygiene

12.Rapid alerts were notified for failure to comply with health conditions for 35 consignments of fishery products, arising from: United Kingdom (lobsters), Norway (mackerel), Denmark (trout eggs and salmon), Spain (mussels), Netherlands (mussels, salmon and tuna), Latvia (mackerel) and France (shrimp).

13. The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has agreed on a common guidance document on traceability, setting out how it applies to third country suppliers of food to the EU.

14. The Food and Veterinary Office has set its 2005 programme of inspections of third countries regarding health conditions for fishery products. Twenty countries are set for an inspection visit, including for the first time, North Korea.

15. Following recent risk assessments regarding TSE agents in animal byproducts of fishery origin, the Commission passed a new regulation setting out the mandatory processing methods and parameters required for fishmeal, and new documentation requirements.

16. The Commission has amended the sample treatment and interpretation of results in the compliance testing of fishery products for heavy metal residues.

17. The Commission also amended the method of calculating levels of dioxin-like PCBs in feeding stuffs, with a new table of toxic equivalency factors.