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June 2005

Common Fisheries Policy

1. The Commission and the Norwegian salmon industry agreed minimum import prices.
2. The Commission issued a Communication on eco-labeling of fisheries products.
3. EU will force emergency closure of Biscay anchovy fishery following ICES advice
4. Monitoring programme for the cod stock recovery plan defined
5. Several 2005 TACs and fish quota allocations modified.
6. EU lifts restrictive measures on fish trade in swordfish, bigeye and bluefin tunas
7. The EU and Sao Tomé e Principe extend the fisheries protocol by one year
8. EU allocates fishing opportunities under the Côte d' Ivoire Fisheries Agreement.
9. Commission announces financial support to fisheries control and surveillance.

Fish hygiene

10. Fifty three rapid alerts notified in June; 7 for adulterated tuna from Indonesia.
11. Commission discusses continuing rejections from Indonesia
12. Mexico's fish exports remain suspended due to deficiencies in establishments.
13. Highly negative FVO inspection mission report on the Philippines
14. Pakistan voluntarily suspends fish exports to the EU following FVO mission.
15. Commission withdraws consideration of Specific Decision on USA fish exports
16. China suspends squid exports to the EU, due to poor industry hygiene
17. Clear smoke processing of tuna under risk assessment by EFSA.
18. EFSA to consider Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) concept
19. EFSA officially inaugurated at its seat in Parma.
20. Live bivalve mollusks may be imported from Canada, Morocco, New Zealand, Tunisia, Turkey, and USA
21. Valle de Tosi in Italy certified as free of fish diseases.


Common Fisheries Policy

1. The European Commission and the Norwegian salmon industry agreed on a minimum import price. The EU’s protective anti-dumping tariff currently applied to Norwegian salmon imports will be removed.

2. The European Commission launched a Communication on eco-labeling of fisheries products, due to increased public interest in environmental sustainability of food production.

3. Following scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the Commission has initiated emergency measures to close the anchovy fishery in the Bay of Biscay.

4. The Commission decided on the details of monitoring and control programmes aimed at ensuring compliance with the recovery plan for cod stocks in the Kattegatt, the North Sea, the Skagerrak, the Eastern Channel, the West of Scotland and the Irish Sea, applicable to Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

5. Amendments were made to 2005 TACs and fish quota allocations, regarding a number of species in Greenland, Faroese and Icelandic waters, cod in the North Sea and setting a quota allowing unavoidable bycatches of deep sea sharks.

6. Following the 14th Special Meeting of ICCAT in 2004, the EU lifted restrictive measures on trade in swordfish, bigeye tuna and bluefin tunas from Cambodia, Equatorial, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

7. The EU and Sao Tomé e Principe agreed to extend the current three-year protocol to their fisheries agreement by a year (from 1 June 2005 to 31 May 2006).

8. The EU Council allocated fishing opportunities under the EU- Côte d’ Ivoire Fisheries Agreement to Spain, France and Portugal.

9. The Commission specified the maximum amounts of financial contribution to Member State fisheries control and surveillance activities. Out of a total expenditure forseen in 2005 of EUR8.6 million on new technologies and networks, the EU will fund 50%.


Fish hygiene

10. Fifty three rapid alerts were notified for failure to comply with health conditions for fishery products, including 7 alerts for carbon monoxide treatment of tuna and heavy metals in swordfish from Indonesia.

11. The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health discussed the continuing problems experienced in import of fishery products from Indonesia (illegal clear smoke, heavy metal contamination and histamine).

12. DG SANCO Food and Veterinary office reported on a mission to Mexico in 2004, following the auto-suspension of fishery product exports to the EU. Despite significant improvements there were still some deficiencies identified in establishments.

13. The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health received a highly negative inspection mission report on the Philippines by Food and Veterinary Office in October 2004 and considered the options available.

14. Pakistan voluntarily suspended exports of fishery products to the EU following an FVO Inspection mission in January 2005.

15. Discussion by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health of the USA's status in relation to exports of fishery products to the EU (including a possible Specific Decision with respect to moving from List 2 to List 1) was withdrawn.

16. The Commission was informed by China of the suspension of squid exports to the EU, due to poor conditions on the squid fishing boats.

17. The Commission once again discussed the clear smoke processing of tuna, currently not permitted but now to be subject to a risk assessment by EFSA. The Commission also discussed a recent court case regarding labeling of this product in the Netherlands.

18. EFSA announced that it will publish opinion regarding the proposed introduction of the concept of Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS), applied to selected groups of non-pathogenic microorganisms deliberately used in food and feed production.

19. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was officially inaugurated at its seat in Parma.

20. The Commission decided to permit imports of live bivalve mollusks, gametes and eggs for further growth or consumption, from Canada, Morocco, New Zealand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, all of which meet EU animal health conditions.

21. The Commission Decided that the Valle de Tosi in Italy should now be regarded as free of certain fish diseases.