| Belgium. EU & Greenland initial new fisheries partnership agreement |
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| Tuesday, 13 June 2006 | |
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Environmental news: The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, and Greenland have recently initialled a Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) for a period of six years, from 1 January 2007. This fisheries agreement will replace the current one, which has been in force since 1985. The new Protocol under the FPA provides fishing opportunities on several species in Greenland waters. Part will go to the EU fleet and another part will be used for exchange of quotas with third countries to balance the EU fisheries agreements in the North Atlantic. The annual EU financial contribution will be € 15,847,244, of which 25% is earmarked for support to the Greenlandic fisheries policy. In addition to the EU financial contribution, a payment of € 2,000,000 is expected from ship owners in the form of licence fees. Greenland will also receive € 25 million from the EU for cooperation in areas other than fisheries. This means that, in all, Greenland will receive the same amount as it does under the current fisheries protocol. The changes in the new protocol includes decreases in a number of fishing opportunities for the EU so as to reflect the state of the stocks and the needs of the Greenlandic fishing industry. These include reductions in redfish by 66% to 8,000 t, Greenland halibut (East) by 16% to 7,500 t and snowcrab by 50% to 500 t. There have also been increases in Greenland halibut (West) by 66% to 2,500 t and shrimp (East) by 23% to 7,000 t. The quota for roundnose grenadier has been taken out and this species can now only be taken as by-catch. Finally, a quota for cod has been introduced with a level of 1,000 t in 2007 rising to 3,500 t until the end of the protocol. To reflect the decreased fishing possibilities, the EU financial contribution under the new FPA is reduced to € 15,847,244 per year in total, This sum includes a specific reserve of € 1,540,000 to be paid for additional quotas of capelin and cod as they become available, as well as a specific sum of € 3,261,449 to be used for the continued promotion of sustainable and responsible fishing in Greenland. Any additional catches in excess of the fishing opportunities set out in the protocol and of the opportunities under the specific reserve are subject to additional payments. In addition to the EU financial contribution, ship owners will contribute licence fees which are expected to amount to around € 2,000,000, in line with the Council conclusions of July 2004. The contribution from ship owners per tonne of species caught represents 5% of the landing value. As part of the ongoing political dialogue on the Greenlandic Fishing Policy, the FPA foresees that the Joint Committee (made up of representatives from the EU and Greenland) will agree on a multi-annual sectoral programme on fisheries and will monitor the implementation of this programme. The Commission and Greenland will hold a first meeting in September 2006 to discuss the elaboration and implementation of this programme under the new Fisheries Partnership Agreement. The following areas have been provisionally identified as priorities: enhancing scientific research in the framework of the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources; strengthening the training of fisheries officials in the Department of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture; and elaborating a management plan for cod during 2007. The Joint Committee will convene no later than the first half of 2007 in order to agree upon the implementation of support to the fisheries sector. Fisheries relations between the European Union and Greenland date back to 1985 when, after a referendum, Greenland, as a part of Denmark, chose to leave the EU. Presently the fourth fisheries protocol is in force for the period 2001-2006. When revising this protocol in 2004, the Parties agreed that from 2007 onwards a new approach would be introduced through a Fisheries Partnership Agreement in line with the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Council furthermore decided in 2003 that future cooperation with Greenland would be based on two pillars – one taking the form of a fisheries agreement, and the other comprising cooperation between the EU and Greenland in areas other than fisheries. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 June 2006 ) |
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