Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 13-14 May 2013
The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting of May will take place in Brussels on 13th and 14th May 2013, under the presidency of Mr Simon Coveney, Irish Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Commissioner Maria Damanaki will represent the Commission for the Fisheries points on the agenda. A press conference will be held at the end of Tuesday's discussions. The public debates and the press conferences can be followed by video streaming.
Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy
The Council will discuss the Proposal for a Regulation on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Ministers are expected to adopt a revised mandate to facilitate the next stage of negotiations between the Irish Presidency and the European Parliament on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council on the reform are on-going and there have to date been five trilogues between the two institutions and the Commission. These trilogues are predominantly dealing with the four main substantive issues of the Maximum Sustainable Yield objective, the discard ban, regionalisation and fleet capacity management.
Other issues being discussed include scope and detail of the landing obligation, the rules determining the fixing and distribution of fishing opportunities, the composition of Advisory Councils, Member States' obligation to create fish stock recovery areas and empowerment for the Commission to adopt delegated acts.
The objective of the reformed fisheries policy is to end overfishing and make fishing sustainable - environmentally, economically and socially. The new policy aims to:
• bring fish stocks back to sustainable levels by setting fishing opportunities based on scientific advice,
• provide EU citizens with a stable, secure and healthy food supply for the long term,
• bring new prosperity to the fishing sector, end dependence on subsidies and create new opportunities for jobs and growth in coastal areas.
The Council will also be informed on the state of play of the Proposal for a Regulation on the Common Organisation of the Markets in Fishery and Aquaculture Products.
Any other business
• The UK delegation will present its request on changes in stock distribution of mackerel in the North-East Atlantic and will seek information and clarification from the Commission on its intentions regarding the imposition of trade sanctions against Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
• The Dutch delegation will present an information note on the Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth which is to be held from 9-13 September 2013 in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Summit will review action priorities to sustainably generate increased productivity for food security and for growth in the context of healthy oceans in a changing climate and will seek to mobilise support for the optimal positioning of oceans in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.
