Borg meets with Barnier and French fishing sector

The possibility of further meetings with representatives from other French regions was discussed. The subjects broached included the situation with regard to artisanal fisheries, arrangements governing fishing quotas and reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The highly constructive exchange of views served to highlight the sector's specific concerns and to place the necessary discussions on how to deal with those concerns under the CFP reform process, on which a consultation had just been launched. The Commissioner encouraged the sector to take a full part in that consultation.

Commissioner Borg pointed out that the quotas set by the Council of Ministers in December could not be altered during the year. It was up to each Member State to manage its quotas such that the fleets concerned could derive maximum benefit from them. Past conservation efforts were beginning to bear fruit, with cod being a case in point. However, the Commissioner pointed out that it was vital that stocks should not be exhausted, otherwise we would find ourselves back at square one.

Commissioner Borg emphasised the importance of upcoming work in the Council of Ministers on the pressing issues of the state of fish stocks and on discards. He called on French fishermen to discuss the future of artisanal fisheries with their counterparts within the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) and to come forward with concrete proposals in response to the Green Paper on CFP reform. The reform process would provide a forum for a broad discussion on the issue of setting quotas, Commissioner Borg said.

Further to the meeting, the Commission expressed its willingness to continue the dialogue at technical level. In this context, Mr Barnier invited the Commission to participate in the next 'Assises de la pêche', which are preparatory events to prepare the French contribution to the public consultation on the Green Paper.