About: common fisheries policy Archives

Fish are often seen to be at the bottom of the pile when it comes to how we view animals. The general assumption is that fish are not furry and pettable, and therefore, they fall outside citizens’ scope of moral concern, write Reineke Hameleers and Philip Lymbery.

On World Ocean Day (8 June), it is important to bring back to the forefront the debate of overfishing which is undermining the health of our oceans. Five years after the reform on the EU Common Fisheries Policy nothing much has changed, and discarding at sea is still common practice, writes Rebecca Hubbard.

Fisheries ministers pulled an all-nighter to reach an agreement on fishing limits for 2018, giving Ireland more a €20m windfall. The Council says progress has been made to achieve sustainable management of fish stocks but NGOs say the new limits are above scientific advice. And the industry was caught gate-crashing, again.

EU member states and Norway reached a preliminary agreement with the European Parliament late on Thursday night (7 December) on fishing limits in the North Sea ahead of next week's Fisheries Council.

The European Commission has proposed a ban on eel fishing in the Atlantic, in an attempt to recover the dwindling stock of the European eel, a critically endangered species that is traded illegally by an industry that is worth millions of euros.

The European Commission has proposed new fishing quotas for 2018 but new rules create a paradox whereby fishermen won't actually be able to cast off and go out to sea.

Denmark's fishing fleet will suffer “severe” economic consequences unless business-as-usual continues after the UK leaves the EU, the Danish government said in a recently published in-depth impact assessment of Brexit on its fishing industry.

Britain will withdraw from an agreement that allows some other European countries to fish between six and 12 miles from its coast in a move to "take back control" of fishing policy, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said on Sunday (2 July).

The collection of accurate fish stock data in Mediterranean waters is a necessity for small-scale fishermen’s long-term survival, Karmenu Vella told EURACTIV.com in an interview. 

Of all the consequences of the Brexit vote, the fate of the Shetland Islands in the North Atlantic and their oil fields and fisheries may not top the list for negotiators in Westminster and Brussels. But it soon might.

In a report published today (17 January), the EU Court of Auditors heavily criticised the European Commission for its failure to contribute to a resource-efficient food supply chain by effectively tackling food waste.

Iceland could hold a referendum on joining the EU if new negotiations on forming a coalition government are successful, the head of one of the three parties involved in the political talks said today (2 January).

Two deals between Morocco and the European Union do not apply to Western Sahara, the EU's top court said during a raft of rulings made yesterday (21 December), in a decision that a group seeking the disputed territory's independence said was a victory for its cause.

Almost 60% of fish resources are at the limit of sustainability. The global fishing fleet is far too large to ensure sustainable fishing and the overall picture is alarming around the world, writes Linnéa Engström.

Western Baltic cod is on the brink of collapse while politicians shirk responsibility, writes Lasse Gustavsson.

Conservationists have blamed the European Commission for being “picky” regarding the scientific advice it used to propose fishing limits in the Baltic Sea.

The European Union has renewed a four year fishing agreement with Mauritania that will allow over 100 EU vessels into Mauritania’s waters in return for funding that will support local fishing communities. But the deal has its critics. EURACTIV Germany reports.

MEPs that travelled to the north-western Spanish region of Galicia have presented their findings and concerns about the area’s all-important fishing industry to the fisheries committee of the European Parliament. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Air quality, energy policy, the Circular Economy and the new Common Fisheries Policy are among the main challenges facing Luxembourg, which assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July. Journal de l'environnement reports. 

The EU's new multi-year plan for managing Baltic commercial fish stocks is an important step towards more sustainable fisheries, but with flaws that need urgent attention, write researchers at the Baltic Eye think tank, at Stockholm University's Baltic Sea Centre.

With a lack of experience, a background in tourism and no clear distribution of roles with fellow commissioners, Maltese politician Karmenu Vella has much to prove as Europe's new Environment Commissioner, according to German activists. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Karmenu Vella, the Maltese Commissioner-designate for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, failed to impress a sceptical audience during a European Parliament confirmation hearing yesterday (29 September).

The new fisheries protocol between Morocco and the European Union, to which the European Parliament is due to give its consent on 10 December, will enable the resumption of sustainable, win-win fishing relations, argues Guido Milana.

Conservationists are warning against an “irresponsible” increase in bluefin tuna quotas, as members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas meet for talks in South Africa this week.