Franz Fischler speech 10 June 2002 Meeting with UK Fisheries associations London

Dr. Franz FISCHLER
Member of the European Commission responsible for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries
Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy
Meeting with UK fisheries associations
London, 10 June 2002

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I welcome this opportunity to meet with you all today from the various corners of the United Kingdom.

I am delighted to welcome the representatives of the fishing sector from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. I took the initiative to come to London to present to you the Commission's proposals for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The seafaring tradition of the UK is world famous and it is therefore not surprising that fisheries represent such an important part of the

socio-economic fabric of many of the UK coastal areas.

But we are in troubled waters today. The existing fisheries policy is obviously a failure.

· More and more economically important stocks are threatened with collapse. Among these are cod in the North Sea, west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea and hake in these areas and to the south of Ireland and in the eastern Channel, all important stocks for you. Cod was once the staple diet of the poor, today it has become an expensive luxury.

· At the same time, fishing effort isn't going down, but up and it yields less and less fish.

· Controls and sanctions are unequal and therefore unfair.

· Economic opportunities for you are getting worse and many of you have to give up their trade.

I have often been asked how we could have come to this. My answer is: because the system is wrong. That is why a simple cure of the symptoms will not do this time. We need to change the system.

The reform must lead to a new policy that ensures sustainable

development in an ecological, economic and social sense.

· Our aim must be a successful and competitive sector, and one which works for the consumer, too.

· For those people who are particularly dependent on fisheries, we must guarantee a fair economic framework.

In our new fisheries policy

· openness and transparency,

· sector involvement,

· clear responsibilities,

· swift decision-making

· and coherence with other policies will be key factors.

Let me start with some important questions for the UK: we propose to keep relative stability, Hague Preferences and the 12-mile zone. The expiry of the transition period for Spain and Portugal means that access to the North Sea will be open to all Member States from 1 January 2003, with the exception of the 12-mile zone and the Shetland Box.

Now I would like to describe how we propose to manage stocks and fleet policy in the future using cod in the North Sea as an example. Basing ourselves on the latest scientific assessment we will draw up a multi-annual management plan. This plan will fix how many vessels may fish for how many days in certain zones and what kind of gear they can use. In other words: They fix the fishing effort which will be the central element of our future policy.

This system will also be much easier to control with the help of VMS.

When discussing how to better manage stocks you automatically come to the question of marine mammals. I must congratulate the UK for its efforts in carrying trials in various fisheries to increase the selectivity of fishing gear. But also here there must be a level playing field between you and your French counterparts. This is why we will propose measures to reduce the by-catch of non-target species on Community level to ensure fair play and effectiveness.

But let me come back to our example of cod in the North Sea and make the link to fleet policy. As this stock is on the verge of collapse, UK fishermen will receive a reduced number of days at sea to fish cod. The more fishermen have to share days at sea, the less profitable this fishery becomes.

This is why especially older fishermen will consider leaving the sector. If they scrap their vessel, they will receive a higher premium and will be integrated in a social plan.

Now once a vessels is scrapped with public money it cannot be replaced. If someone wants to introduce a new vessel, he can do so with private money but only after taking out at least the same capacity, also with private money. This means public money will only work towards decreasing fishing pressure, investing in security and hygiene on board, changing to more selective fishing techniques or for social measures.

One thing is absolutely important to point out: This reform is the first one that will end aid for fleet renewal, and it's the first that will bring UK fishermen on an equal footing with their EU counterparts, as competition will no longer be distorted by subsidies any more.