Chamber and committees

I attended the Fisheries Council meeting on 22 November as part of the UK delegation along with the MAFF Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley.

The Council agreed a regulation for financial aid in the fisheries sector under the new structural funds arrangements. The revised Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) provides for a seven year funding programme beginning on 1 January 2000. It will enable a range of measures across the fishing industry including support for fish processors, quality initiatives, vessel modernisation and vessel safety. Grants for the renewal and modernisation of the fleet will be subject to a requirement for Member States to meet their overall annual capacity objectives. Where renewal or modernisation is proposed in a segment of the fleet that has not met its capacity targets, it will be necessary to withdraw 30% more capacity than is grant aided. This welcome innovation will help improve the balance between fish stocks and fleet capacity and restrain public funds being used across the community to augment fishing effort.

The Council reached a broad political agreement on a reform of the fisheries marketing regime. The new regulation will provide lower tariffs for imports of fish which are important for our processing industry, while protecting the interests of our catching industry on sensitive species such as herring and cod. In particular, we have ensured that there will be no tariff suspension for herring, an outcome of great importance to the Scottish fleet. After a transitional period the agreed changes will reduce the overall costs of the regime.The Council also received a presentation on a draft Regulation to establish a Community framework for the collection and management of data needed to conduct the Common Fisheries Policy; this will return to the Council after detailed examination. The Commission reported that on 20 December there would be a meeting with the Moroccan Minister of Fisheries to take forward the EU:Morocco negotiations. There was an initial discussion of means of implementation of the new control arrangements adopted by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission. Arrangements for the year 2000 will be considered at the next meeting of the Council on 16 and 17 December.