Ireland has said that the European Commission will be “at odds with best practice” if it fails to make legislative changes to its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Ireland’s submission to Brussels says there is a “compelling case” for a deeper review of the CFP, given the “urgent need for legislative change” due to a number of “critical” challenges.
The policy, which is the subject of a review every ten years, is due for renewal next year.
However, EU Commissioner for Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius warned he was taking a “cautious approach” to the review when he visited Ireland last September – while expressing sympathy to the Irish fishing industry for the large burden borne by Ireland as a result of the Brexit deal.
“ I cannot promise we will be reopening the CFP,” he said.
Critical challenges identified in Ireland’s submission to Brussels include: the impact of Brexit; the energy crisis and other emergencies confronting the European seafood sector; food security; climate change; and biodiversity loss.
Other challenges include the drive for increased marine protected area (MPAs); the growth and intended scale of offshore renewable energy (ORE) development; structural aid, and measures necessary to address climate change and associated pressures on the marine environment; and agreements with third countries.
The report takes issue with the fact that the European Commission has “intimated” that it does not intend to introduce any legislative changes to the CFP on this occasion.
It argues that reports compiled by the European Commission as part of the 10- year review cycle in 1992, 2002 and 2012 were accompanied by reforms of the CFP – “including the necessary legislative changes”.
“It is the view of this review group that it is imperative, on this occasion too, that the Commission should introduce some legislative changes on foot of its report,”it says, acknowledging that this will require agreement by the European Council and the European Parliament.
Ireland’s submission says that Brexit and the associated Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) represent “the most important changes to the CFP since its inception”.
It says that the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries estimates that Ireland contributed 34% by volume and 40% by value of the real economic cost of fish transfers to Britain.
“ The next nearest member state in contribution terms, Germany, contributed just 24% by volume and 21% by value,” it says.
“ In the case of western mackerel alone, Ireland’s sacrifice accounts for 51% of the total Brexit transfers,” it says.
Ireland’s CFP review group contends that the implications of all major policy changes must be accompanied by a “publicly available socio-economic impact assessment”.
“Such measures should be designed to lessen the socioeconomic impact on those who depend on fishing activities, wherever they operate within the EU,”it points out.
It says the data collection regime should be strengthened to ensure adequate data is collected to enable socio economic impact assessments.
It also says that where the relative stability of fishing activities is altered, as has been the case with Brexit, measures should be taken to redress any imbalance through burden sharing.
It identifies measures that can be used to lessen the socio-economic impact of any major changes to the CFP.
These include strengthening the EU’s position in external fisheries agreements and trade deals; facilitated quota swaps; voluntary schemes to redistribute unused quota; and industry schemes to maintain employment and minimise socio economic impacts, it says.
The report recommends that in future negotiations with Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and the UK, the EU must ensure that it; i) receives a fair share of the mackerel TAC, ii) receives an increased share of blue whiting total allowable catch; and iii) reduces any transfer of blue whiting to Norway.
It says Ireland’s Hague Preferences for existing stocks should be revised upwards, and Hague Preferences for additional critical stocks should be introduced to fully redress the imbalance caused by Brexit.
It says that in the case of western mackerel, Ireland’s Hague Preference should be increased by an amount equivalent to that previously available to Britain, in both the North Sea and Western Waters components of this stock.
On the environment and MPAs, it says that the “key tensions between food security and environmental conservation must be addressed” at EU level.
It says elements of the CFP “have the effect of impeding member states’ ability to meet environmental obligations” and should be amended.
It also says the EU should “integrate the scientific information on climate impacts into our collective management of marine resources”.
The 31-page report, commissioned by Ireland’s marine minister Charlie McConalogue, was compiled by a group chaired by former secretary general of the Department of Agriculture John Malone.
The group’s steering committee involved former Marine Institute and Environmental Protection Agency director Micheál Ó Cinnéide and former BIM director Donal Maguire.
It also involved representatives of fish producer organisations, the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, the aquaculture industry, co-ops, the seafood processing industry and representatives of environmental NGOs.
The full report can be viewed here