EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
Directorate D
SG-E2- Natural Resources, Energy Union and Sustainability
Brussels, 11 January 2019
SI(2019) 30
NOTE TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION
Subject:
Meeting of the Council of the European Union (Agriculture and
fisheries)
Brussels, 17-18 December 2018 - Summary record
After two days of negotiations, the Council agreed on 2019 fishing opportunities in the
Atlantic and North Sea. The agreement included an increase of quotas compared to last year,
fully in line with scientific advice. In case of low stocks, the Council agreed with the
Commission's proposal to reduce catches for Herring, Nephrops and for sole. As regards eel,
which is in a critical condition, a consecutive 3-month closure period was agreed.
Out of scope
MARE
The Council agreed with qualified majority
for 2019 in the Atlantic and North Sea. The agreement
included an increase of quotas compared to last year, fully in line with scientific advice, and
on a number of important stocks, such as northern hake, northern haddock, horse mackerel,
seabass and some stocks of Norway lobster. In the run up to the implementation of the landing
obligation as of January 2019, the Council also agreed on a number of practical ways to limit
potential choke situations. This was possible due the flexibility of Member States for cases
where zero or low quotas combined with the landing obligation would have forced a Member
State to stop very early or to not even start fishing for certain stocks. As regards stocks which
are low, the Council agreed with the Commission's proposal to reduce catches for Herring in
the Celtic Sea by 53%, to reduce catches for Nephrops in the waters around Ireland by 32%
and to reduce catches for sole in the Eastern channel by 26%. As regards eel, which is still in a
critical condition, agreement was reached on creating a level playing field across the EU by
establishing a consecutive 3 month closure period (to be chosen between August and
February) for all fisheries of European eel at all life stages, including glass eel. This closure
will apply to all marine waters and to brackish waters.
Out of scope
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
Office: L130 - Tel. direct line +32 229-
AGRI
Out of scope
Out of scope
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Out of scope
Out of scope
[signed]
Further information:
1.
Adoption of the agenda
2.
Approval of "A" items
Non-legislative activities
3.
Council Regulation on Atlantic and North Sea TACs and Quotas for 2019
(Legal basis proposed by the Commission: Article 43.3 of the TFEU)
-
Political agreement
The Presidency outlined its intention to reach a political agreement, which would be fair
for all and in line with the (CFP).
3
The Commission (Commissioner Vella) thanked the Presidency and Member States for
the good work in preparation of this Council. He recalled the importance of the 2020
deadline to achieve comprehensive sustainable fisheries management in the EU and the
full implementation of the landing obligation as of 1 January 2019. With regard to the
latter, the Commissioner praised the work by the regional groups to identify all available
tools to deal with this upcoming challenge. He also recalled the Commission
commitment to try and find possible solutions for choke situations and referred to the
Commission proposal for an ad hoc solution (unallocated by-catch TACs) in the very few
cases where the available tools were not sufficient because ICES has issued a zero catch
advice. The purpose of these by-catch TACs is to limit catches from those depleted
stocks strictly to what is scientifically considered as unavoidable by-catch in those
fisheries. In this context, he insisted on the need for the Member States to step up the
actions to improve selectivity, avoidance and control.
The Commissioner recalled the need to bring the fisheries to Maximum Sustainable
Yield (MSY) levels in 2020 at the latest and the need for this year Council to make
significant progress.
Out of scope
16 Ministers took the floor in the Plenary to express their priorities and stressed their
willingness to look for workable solution and meaningful progress.
NL
IE
4
BE
ES
FR
UK
5
.
IT
PT
DK
DE
6
LV
SE
PL
HR
FI
EL
Political agreement on Presidency compromise
7
After two rounds in Plenary, trilateral meetings and two days of intense negotiations, a
political agreement was reached by qualified majority
The formal
adoption will go through written procedure.
The Presidency compromises comprises the following:
Seabass
Total ban in February and March
For 10 months:
Using demersal trawls: not exceeding 400 kilograms per 2 months and 1% of the weight
of the total catches of marine organisms on board in any single day;
Using seines: for unavoidable by-catches not exceeding 210 kilograms per month and 1%
of the weight of the total catches of marine organisms on board in any single day;
Using hooks and lines: 5,5 tonnes per vessel per year;
Using fixed gillnets: for unavoidable by catches, 1,4 tonnes per vessel per year.
In recreational fisheries, only catch-and-release fishing for northern seabass is allowed
during 5 months. For the seven months between 1 April and 31 October 2019, not more
than one specimen of European seabass may be retained per fisherman per day.
In recreational fisheries for southern seabass, a maximum of three specimens may be
retained per fisherman per day
European eel fisheries
It is prohibited to fish for European eel at all life stages in Union Waters of ICES area as
well as brackish waters for a consecutive three-month period to be determined by each
Member State between 1 August 2019 and 29 February 2020. Member States shall
communicate the determined period to the Commission no later than 1 June 2019.
Out of scope
Five By-catch quotas
There are certain stocks for which ICES has issued scientific advice for no catches. If the
TACs for those stocks are set at the level indicated in the scientific advice, the obligation
to land all catches in mixed fisheries with by-catches from these stocks would lead to the
phenomenon of “choke species”. In order to strike the right balance between continuing
8
fisheries in view of the potentially severe socio-economic implications, and the need to
achieve a good biological status for those stocks, taking into account the difficulty of
fishing all stocks in a mixed fishery at maximum sustainable yield at the same time, it is
appropriate to establish specific TACs for by-catches for those stocks.
In order to guarantee to the extent possible the use of fishing opportunities in mixed
fisheries in accordance with Article 16(2) of Regulation 1380/2013, it is appropriate to
establish a pool for quota exchanges for those Member States that have no quota to cover
their unavoidable by-catches.
Therefore, 6% of each quota from the TACs for cod in the Celtic Sea, cod in the West of
Scotland, whiting in the Irish Sea and plaice in 7h, 7j and 7k, and 3% of each quota from
the TAC for the West of Scotland whiting, allocated to each Member State, shall be
made available for a pool for quota exchanges, which shall open as of 1 January 2019.
Member States without quota shall have exclusive access to the quota pool until 31
March 2019.
Together with this mechanism, the Member States cooperating in the North-Western
Waters, in close cooperation with the North Western Waters Advisory Council, will
prepare a by-catch reduction plan to ensure that by-catches of these five stocks are
reduced through selectivity or avoidance measures. To this end, the Member States
concerned will submit to the Commission a by-catch reduction plan at the latest on 30
April 2019. In line with the Control Regulation, the Member States will undertake all
appropriate control measures to ensure that by-catches of these five stocks are strictly
unavoidable and that no discards take place beyond levels allowed by the discard plan.
By 1 July 2019 the Member States concerned will inform the Commission of the control
measures taken.
TACs compromise
In total 59 TACs stocks, managed by the EU or by the EU and Norway together, have
been set in line with MSY, and none of the TACs has been set at the level that would
postpone the achievement of MSY beyond 2019.
TACs have been set as follows (changes to the TAC tables in Annex IA of the
Commission proposal):
Proposal
TAC
Compromise Compromise
Statements /
Common
TAC
change
TAC change
TAC 2019
additional
name
Unit
2018 -
2018 - 2019
(tonnes)
information
2019
5% of this quota
5b, 6 -
Anglerfish
may be used in 2a,
14
4
Cod
Kattegat
-24%
-10%
567 tonnes
5% of this quota
Cod
2a and 4
may be used in 7d
9
Flexibility of 5% to
4; Union waters of
2a; that part of 3a
Cod
7d
not covered by the
Skagerrak
and
Kattegat
Common
2a and 4
-22%
-20%
12 555 tonnes
sole
7b-k, 8,
9
and
10,
Haddock
-14%
+20%
8329 tonnes
Union
watersof
CECAF
Hake
8c, 9, 10
-14%
RO
9 258
Flexibility
25%
Ling
3a
RO
+95%
170 tonnes
from 4 to 3a, but
not more than 75t
Union
Ling
waters
-3%
+5%
4035 tonnes
of 4
6-14
35% of this quota
Ling
may be used in 4
25% of this quota
6,
7,
Mackerel
can be transferred
8abde
to 8c, 9 and 10
5% of this quota
Megrims
5b, 6-14
may be used in 2a,
4
For BE, IE and the
UK: 10 % of the
quotas may be used
in 8a, 8b, 8d and 8e
(LEZ/*8ABDE) for
by-catches
in
Megrims
7
directed
fisheries
for sole.
For ES and FR: 35
% of the quota may
be fished in 8a, 8b,
8d
and
8e
(LEZ/*8ABDE).
Norway
3a
+65%
+17%
13 733 tonnes
lobster
Plaice
Kattegat
+98%
+15%
1705 tonnes
Skates
3a
-11%
RO
47 tonnes
and Rays
10
Skates
7d
-5%
+10%
1404 tonnes
and rays
6a, 6b,
Skates
7a-c,
-1%
+5%
10184 tonnes
and rays
7e-k
Skates
8 and 9
RO
+10%
4759 tonnes
and rays
Undulate
7de
-36%
+30%
234 tonnes
ray
Undulate
8
-57%
+10%
33 tonnes
ray
Undulate
9
-35%
+4%
50 tonnes
ray
Whiting
8
RO
Statement
Contact person:
(DG MARE –
)
Out of scope
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Pages 12 - 17 were removed as the entirety of
information included therein falls outside the scope
of the application 2019/768.