acion plan for closer dialogue with the fishing industry and other groups affected by the common

fisheries policy

the european commission has adopted an action plan (pdf ~ 60 kb)aimed at creating the
conditions needed for effective consultation and communication between all involved directly and
indirectly in the common fisheries policy (cfp). the commission believes that improving the
dialogue with the fishing and aquaculture industry is essential in order to tighten the links with a
sector directly affected by any new community measure. this dialogue must not, however, be
confined to the industrial sector directly concerned. it must embrace the other groups in society
that are affected by the development, management and future of fishing, particularly associations
involved in the environment, consumer protection or cooperation with non-eu countries. the action
plan adopted by the commission is in three parts: renewal of the advisory committee on fisheries,
reinforcement of trade organisations and better communication with the groups concerned. the
first part is the subject of a commission decision; to implement the other two, the commission is
proposing a regulation, to be adopted by the council after consultation of the european
parliament.

renewal of the advisory committee on fisheries

this advisory committee, set up in 1971 on the pattern of the agricultural advisory committees,
has up to now consisted of representatives of the various fisheries trade organisations and
consumers. the increasingly complex management of a highly integrated common policy like the
cfp, and the growing interest of other groups outside the actual fishing industry in fisheries issues,
have made it necessary to reform this advisory body, whose structure and operation no longer
met the needs of either the fisheries sector or the commission.

the reform of the committee, which is the first point in the above-mentioned action plan, is thus
designed to involve the fisheries sector more in the development of the cfp and enable all
interested parties to take a more effective part in the dialogue by formulating opinions which are
not only technically sound but also reflect the whole range of interests represented in the
committee.

the new structure makes the advisory committee more representative by, among other things,
introducing the representation of interests such as the aquaculture sector, operators of auctions
and scientific experts, and also brings in other associations affected by the cfp.

the advisory committee on fisheries will henceforth consist of a plenary committee on which the
various interest groups at european level will be represented, and four working groups, in which
experts will give opinions in the fields in which they are qualified. for the sake of efficiency and to
encourage analyses and common positions, each european organisation representing part of the
trade or associations will have only one seat each on the plenary committee. on the other hand,
in the working groups, participants will be chosen according to their expertise in the fields dealt
with (access to fisheries resources and management of fishing activity; aquaculture; markets and
trade policy; general and economic matters and sectoral analysis).

reinforcement of european trade organisations

a corollary to the reform of the advisory committee, the second part of the action plan concerns
reinforcement of the european fisheries trade organisations making up the advisory committee so
as to enable them to carry out all their tasks (initiative, representation, coordination and
information).

generally supported at national level, the trade organisations receive very little funding at
european level. they do not therefore at present have sufficient resources to take on the greater
responsibility and extra tasks arising from the new structure of the advisory committee. it is thus
proposed that the commission make a financial contribution towards organising preparatory
meetings so that the national members of the trade organisations can meet in brussels to prepare
for the meetings of the advisory committee as, from now on, each organisation will be able to
send only one representative.

better communication

effective dialogue with the fishing industry and all the interest groups concerned depends largely
on the general level of information not only about the common fisheries policy as such but also
about legislative proposals that are being prepared in the community institutions, their scientific
and technical bases and discussions which may lead to community measures in this field.

the third aspect of the action plan is thus concerned with developing measures and resources
(liaison with existing networks, establishing instruments of communication, producing
appropriately targeted material, etc.) enabling those working in the fishing industry and other
interested parties to be properly informed so that they can play a full part in the dialogue. this
action must also make for transparency in the dialogue, with, among other things, the exchanges
of views between the commission and all interest groups being passed on to those concerned
who, by the very nature of their activities, tend to be scattered across the most remote areas of
the community.