Brussels: The upcoming negotiations with the United Kingdom, Norway, and coastal states over shared fish stocks, a perennial point of contention since Brexit are at the top of Monday’s Agri-Fish agenda according to Costas Kadis, the EU’s Commissioner for Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries. ‘The European Union is seeking arrangements that will provide stability for our fisheries sector and will contribute towards protecting especially vulnerable stocks. During the negotiations the European Commission will stand firm in defending the European Union’s interests and ensuring sustainability across environmental, social and economic dimensions,’ underlined Kadis during his doorstep at the beginning of the Council meeting of ministers in Brussels.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the timing of these negotiations is no coincidence. Today, the Council gave its approval to the Unsustainable Fishing Regulation, a new instrument Kadis described as ‘a very important and strong tool in our toolbox to address unsustainable fisheries practices by third countries and establish a level playing field for our fishers.’ Over funding, Kadis highlighted the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which includes ‘an amount of 2 billion euros dedicated to activities relevant to fisheries and ocean policies.’ But the real headline was his assertion that ‘this amount can be topped up by the Member States, and the overall amount dedicated to fisheries can go even beyond what is in today’s MFF.’
Addressing critics who argue that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is stuck by excessive environmental norms, Kadis insisted that while an evaluation is ongoing, any revisions would be very targeted. ‘The Common Fisheries Policy has already produced tangible positive results. Therefore, we are not going to scrap everything’ he added. On the Ocean Pact and the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement), two initiatives that underscore the EU’s ambition, Kadis underlined that its implementation has already started. ‘We have already started the implementation of the Ocean Pact. The main legal instrument for the implementation of the Ocean Pact is the Ocean Act, and we have already started preparing it,’ suggesting that the Ocean Act is expected to reach the European Parliament ‘before the end of 2026.’
As for High Seas Treaty, Kadis hailed as a ‘historic milestone’, calling the EU’s role in its adoption ‘catalytic.’ The treaty, which was ratified by 60 countries over the weekend and is set to enter into force in 4 months, aims to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction-a vast and largely unregulated expanse of the planet. ‘The European Commission has already started preparatory work to support Member States to adequately implement what is in the High Seas Treaty’ he concluded.