Mediterranean Regulation : Commission writes to member states re implementation
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.
Commmissioner Maria Damanaki has made it repeatedly clear that the Mediterranean Regulation has to be strictly implemented, because "we need to reverse the worrying trend of unsustainable fishing practices and impoverishment of marine resources and we need to do it now. But for this to happen, everybody must take their responsibilities and abide by the agreed rules". The Commission now engages with the Member States to further deepen the concrete work to be done. For this reason country specific letters are being sent on behalf of Commissioner Maria Damanaki by the Director General of DG MARE to the relevant ministries in Greece, Spain, Malta, France and Italy.
Further background: