Ref. Ares(2018)4281201 - 17/08/2018
Ref. Ares(2019)2387732 - 04/04/2019
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR MARITIME AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES
Fisheries Policy Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic and Outermost Regions
Structural Support Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic and Outermost Regions
Director
Brussels,
MARE.C1
/Ares(2018)
Chair North Western Waters MS
Group
Subject:
Updated joint recommendations for a demersal discard plan
Dear Chair,
I would like to thank you and the members of your regional group for replying to my
letter from the 24 July 2018. We appreciate that August can be a difficult month to
contact your Member States and we are grateful for the efforts made by national
administrations. However, I am sure you will agree that with the implementation of the
landing obligation ahead of us, this is an exceptional year for drafting the discard plans
and delegated acts.
Whilst we appreciate the work done so far by the regional groups, we consider that some
of the new exemptions that have now been proposed in response to our previous
communication deserve being subject to STEFC's scrutiny. In particular we note several
new "single stock
de minimis" exemptions that have been proposed in place of
"combined
de minimis" exemptions. Whilst several of these new exemptions have been
provided with additional information, there will not be sufficient time for them to be
analysed by the STECF ahead of the Expert Working Group in September.
Therefore we would propose, without prejudice to the final position of the Commission,
that your joint recommendations be modified according to the comments in the attached
table. In the interests of expediency, please could you confirm in writing no later than
22
August, that you accept the proposed changes from the attached table, which will then
allow the Commission to continue with drafting the first wave of delegated acts, minus
these still open elements, ensuring drafts are sent on time for scrutiny by the Expert
Group in September.
We would like to reiterate that it is the Commission's goal to ensure that the co-
legislation process passes smoothly. Our approach would allow for discard plans that
clearly align with the existing scientific advice from STECF and help avoid the proposal
for a discard plan to be rejected entirely. We would thus hope to have discard plans in
place for 1 January 2019. The Commission will send separate joint recommendations
containing the new elements, such as the "single stock
de minimis" to the STECF for
review as soon as they are ready. If the STECF provide a positive assessment for these
new exemptions, we would envisage updated delegated acts entering into force at a later
date in 2019.
1
Should you have any further questions, please could you kindly contact my colleague
.
Hélène CLARK
Enclosure:
Annex
CC:
2