Commissioner Maria Damanaki, in charge of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, visits Romania and Bulgaria on 29 and 30 March, respectively, to discuss maritime and fisheries-related issues and cooperation in the Black Sea basin.

The EFCA has adopted its annual report for 2011 at the meeting of the Administrative Board held on 15 of March.

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Hearing at the Italian Parliament

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Symposium "A Blueprint for Oceans and Coasts" at the European Parliament

What did the catch composition rules intend to achieve?
The catch composition rules were put in place in 2009 to reduce fishing mortality by preventing a targeted fishery for cod, haddock, and whiting. The catches of all three stocks had substantially reduced, and they were considered to have collapsed. The rules were to allow for stocks to recover, but only the haddock stock has improved since.

The European Commission today used emergency powers, under Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 to reduce and avoid excessive discarding of haddock in the West of Scotland.

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at a visit to the European Fisheries Control Agency, Vigo

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Fish Summit, London, UK

Baltic: a new ecosystem approach; Controls: European Union inspectors; Illegal fishing: DNA as evidence; EFF: taking stock of the territorial approach

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Seminar: Renewal of the EU Fisheries Policy – minimised bycatch and ban on discards

A delegation of the European Commission and a delegation of the Union of Comoros met within the framework of the Joint Committee to discuss issues linked to the implementation of the Fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and the Union of Comoros.

The CFCA has adopted its sixth work programme for 2012, the first one within the mandate of his new Executive Director and has elected a new Chairman. Moreover, the budget adopted in the meeting for 2012 is of €9,31million, subject to the definitive adoption of the EU Budget for 2012 by the Budgetary Authority in the coming weeks.

Commissioner Maria Damanaki, in charge of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will meet Norvegian ministers and stakeholders during a two day visit to Norway starting Monday 17 October.

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) has just started up a joint deployment plan (JDP) for pelagic fisheries in Western Waters of the North East Atlantic.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Conference on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fisheries at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington

The European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki is currently visiting the USA. She will be in Washington DC until 9 September 2011.

A historic statement pledging bilateral cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, known as IUU fishing, will be signed today in Washington by Maria Damanaki, ...

Updated version now online

Commissioner Damanaki took part today in the public hearing on "Traceability of fish products in the EU market: rules of origin and labelling", in the European Parliament.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Public Hearing on "Traceability of fish products in the EU market: rules of origin and labelling", Brussels

Introductory remarks by Commissioner Damanaki at the GLOBE World Oceans Day Forum, London

Low-cost catfish fillets sold as expensive sole fillets or cod caught in the North Sea but declared as originating ...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the SlowFish Opening Conference, Genoa

Updated version now on-line

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Roundtable on Food at Green Week, Brussels

The Commission has conducted inspections in Italy on 17-21 May 2010, 14-18 June 2010, 4-8 April 2011 and 9-13 May 2011.

Updated version now online

Commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, Maria Damanaki today said that she expects Member States to take all necessary measures to ensure full compliance by their vessels during the main fishing season for bluefin tuna, which started on 15 May.

Modern tools for effective control, Study: women in maritime sectors, Discards: new rules on the drawing board

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament, S&D Group Hearing : "Ways of securing the future of our  fisheries resources"

Today, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki is meeting representatives of the fishing industry and other stakeholders to discuss what can be done to stop discarding of fish. Discarding is the practice of throwing back unwanted fish to the sea.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament - Greens/EFA Group Hearing: "How much fish can be safely caught?"

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Stakeholders' hearing on discards

Getting away with fishing illegally will become much more difficult for fishermen, as the EU's new system for fisheries control is now fully operational. With the adoption of detailed rules on how to carry out controls ...

The credibility of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) depends on an effective enforcement and application of the agreed rules. With the adoption of detailed rules to apply the EU Fisheries Control Regulation, the ...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the press conference

The 15th Plenary Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 18 to 22 March. A three-day meeting of the IOTC Compliance Committee had preceded the plenary. The Plenary outcome was rather disappointing for the EU. While...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the seminar of the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) Group of the European Parliament

A link to regulation no. 202/2011 has been added

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the meeting on Common Fisheries Policy at the EC Representation in Berlin, Germany

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) based in Vigo, Spain, adopted its annual report for 2010 at the meeting of its Administrative Board held on 15 March.

"Flag State Notification" has been updated

"Flag State Notification" has been updated

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament plenary session

"List of approved economic operators" has been added under "additional information".

New page on the website containing lists of fisheries codes and data structure that are relevant for all stakeholders of the fisheries community to record and report fishing activities.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the High Level Meeting on banning discards

"Requirement of a validated EU catch certificate for transhipment within a non-EU port" has been added.

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the 6th International Forum on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

Addendum to and amendment of list of competent authorities in Member States

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament

Video on the European Parliament's website

List of flag state notifications - now including the flag state notification of United Arab Emirates.

Requirement of a validated EU catch certificate for processing activities carried out in a third country, different from the flag State

Additional information on products processed in the flag State to be exported to the EU

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) based in Vigo, Spain, has adopted its multiannual work programme for 2011-2015 as well as the annual work programme and budget for 2011.

• List of flag state notifications
• Information note - state of play and summary of main provisions of the IUU Regulation

The following IUU guidance documents have been updated:

• Information note - state of play and summary of main provisions of the IUU Regulation
• Technical note - description of the catch certification scheme
• Cooperation note - possibilities of international cooperation in the fight against IUU fishing and the implementatio of the IUU Regulation.

The European Commission will represent the EU at the annual meeting of the IATTC which starts today and goes on to 1 October 2010 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The European Union is now a signatory to an important regional fisheries management convention which, once it enters into force, will ensure that fishing from western Australia to South America is subject to agreed international rules.

The European Commission is sending a letter to five member states on the implementation of the Mediterranean Regulation, recalling that all the rules fully apply as from 1 June 2010 while specifying what is further needed from each Member State to make their national management plan operational.

Leaflets and brochures on fisheries control and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing have been added to the publications page.

L'Union européenne s'est déclarée très satisfaite du résultat positif de la réunion de la Commission Mixte entre la République Islamique de Mauritanie et l’Union européenne, tenue à Nouakchott du 21 au 25 mars 2010.

Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Mrs Maria Damanaki made clear yesterday that there will be no postponement in the implementation of the Mediterranean Regulation no. 1967/2006.

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, arrives in Spain this evening for a three-day visit to Madrid and Vigo. During her visit, the Commissioner will meet with political leaders, industry representatives, shipowners and other stakeholders to gauge their views on a range of issues. She will also meet staff at the Community Fisheries Control Agency, based in Vigo, and see a number of local projects at work.

Strides forward were made last week by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission for the protection of the fish stocks in the Indian Ocean, such as tropical tunas and shark stocks. The parties agreed among others on an enhanced system for control and compliance, on introducing a time/area closure and on forbidding sharks from the thresher family from being taken or kept on board.

Why do we need a new control regulation?

The fisheries control regulation in force until now dates back to 1993. It has since been amended a dozen times, in particular in 1998 to include the control of fishing effort, and in 2002 during the last reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The European Commission has signed an administrative cooperation agreement with Faroe Islands which marks a new step in the parties' efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The European Commission has just signed two administrative cooperation agreements with Canada and Iceland which mark a new step in the parties' efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Last week, the European Commission signed two administrative cooperation agreements with New Zealand and the United States which mark a new step in the parties' efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Yesterday, the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) adopted its work programme and budget for 2010.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a worldwide phenomenon with disastrous environmental and socio-economic impacts, threatening the sustainable exploitation of living aquatic resources and marine biodiversity. It also has serious overall consequences for coastal countries, which lose out on their marine resources to illegal operators.

Ministers for Fisheries meeting today in Council in Brussels have extended their support to the Commission's plans for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.  Joe Borg, Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime affairs, welcomed the frank and open discussion held in the Council today which demonstrated the support of the Council to take courageous steps to have a real and meaningful reform of the CFP.