#Romania2019.eu/Romanian presidency - new agreement with European Parliament on fisheries technical measures

The Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union has reached another provisional agreement with the European Parliament in fishery, informs a press release of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).

The European Parliament and the Council of EU agreed on the Commission's proposal to decentralize and simplify the technical regulations, by involving the fishermen more in the decision-making process with respect to the best measures for a sustainable fishing, adjusted to their specific needs, mentioned the MADR release, which quoted the European Commission.

Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea brought to mind that this agreement is the 9th reached by the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU in the agriculture and fishery field.

"Last night we scored another success of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union, in the agriculture field: our team was congratulated by the European Commissioner for environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, Karmenu Vella, for reaching a new agreement between the Council and the European Parliament regarding the new fisheries technical measures," said Petre Daea.

The new agreement, which observes the Common Fisheries Policy and the Commission's programme regarding a better regulation, simplifies the technical measures that determine the conditions under which fishermen may fish and establish the type of equipment, composition of catches and how to treat unwanted catches.

The new regulations simplify the existing technical measures, which have become extremely complicated at European level during the years. The new regulations include provisions meant to protect the marine ecosystems, marine habitats and to limit unwanted catches.

The regulation include quantitative indicators to determine the efficacy of the technical measures meant to protect spawn, unwanted catches of mammals, such as whales, dolphins, porpoises and seabirds, as well as indicators to define the impact on the marine ecosystem. This is a new approach meant to offer a better picture of the results and an increased responsibility of the operators. The agreement is also an important steps for the cetaceans and seabirds, for it makes it mandatory for the member states to introduce new measures meant to limit unwanted catches of seabirds, whales, dolphins and porpoises in all the marine areas, when this is justified by scientific proof, reads the MADR release.

Moreover, the co-legislators agreed to introduce an interdiction regarding the use of electric pulse fishing starting on July 1, 2021, by ensuring a period of gradual limitation to allow the sector to adapt. The agreement also offers the member states the possibility of forbidding or immediately limiting electric pulse fishing in their coastal waters, mentioned the same release. AGERPRES (RO - author: George Coman, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)