Environment and Sustainability Committee

E&S(4)-05-11 paper 4

Environment and Sustainability Committee: Common Fisheries Policy Task and Finish Group

Background

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the European Union’s instrument for the management of fisheries and aquaculture. The CFP is subject to periodic review and was last reformed in 2002. However, it is widely acknowledge that the 2002 reforms have failed to deliver a sustainable European fisheries sector. On 13 July 2011 the European Commission published its proposals for the reform of the policy stating that ‘fundamental’ changes to the policy are needed.

A second and complementary proposal for a new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the financial instrument to support implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy after 2013, is expected to be published in November 2011.

Of particular importance to Wales will be the proposals made by the Commission that relate to or impact upon small scale fisheries and the economic development of coastal communities.

The Environment and Sustainability Committee has decided to establish a Task and Finish Group to gather stakeholder views on the Commission’s proposals and to track the negotiations on the proposals as they develop over the next year.

Terms of Reference

¡ To assess the potential impact of the Commission’s proposals on Wales and the Welsh Fisheries Zone and the to consider the wider implications for Welsh Territorial Seas of the proposals for the European fisheries sector

¡ To make recommendations to the Welsh Government on what it should prioritise in its negotiations on the reform process.

¡ To act as a forum for stakeholders in Wales to engage with the debate on the future of the policy.

¡ To influence the wider debate on CFP Reform, the Task and Finish Group will seek to share its conclusions with UK parliamentary bodies, the European Commission and the European Parliament and with other relevant European bodies such as the Committee of the Regions.

The Group will consider:

¡ What the European Commission’s proposals could mean for Wales and the management of Welsh Fisheries Zone and in particular whether the Commission’s proposals to decentralise the management of fisheries will be of benefit to Wales?

¡ What the European Commission’s proposals could mean for social and economic viability of coastal communities in Wales?

¡ What impacts changes made in the wider fisheries sector in Europe could have on Wales?

¡ What should the Welsh Government prioritise in its negotiations on CFP Reform to ensure a beneficial outcome for Wales?

¡ How can Wales ensure that its views inform the negotiation process?