Europe information agriculture-COMMISSION PROPOSAL: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION ESTABLISHING COMMUNITY FINANCIAL MEASURES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY AND IN THE AREA OF THE LAW OF THE SEA

摘要

Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg's proposal for a Council Regulation, which was adopted by the college of EU commissioners at their April 6 meeting, is the Commission's second fisheries-specific proposal in the context of the EU's financial perspectives 2007-2013. The first was the adoption by the Commission in July 2004 of the proposal on the future European Fisheries Fund. The financial package proposed in the document includes an increase of EU funds by one quarter compared to the current annual allocation: the total Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) funding,is thus increased to euro 7.5 billion over the 7-year budget period. This increase is intended to take into account the EU enlargement, and an increased effort on data collection. This proposal's"crucial objective" is to "make financial intervention more effective". The document states that "greater complementarity and more streamlined, uniform and coordinated procedures, both within the European Union and in relations with third countries and international organisations, are essential to ensuring the consistency and relevance of financial intervention". The two main aims of the proposal - which are in line with the aims of the CFP reform - are to improve the control of fishing activities through better control and enforcement, and provide EU support for better data collection in order to better evaluate the state of fisheries resources. The Commission wants to strengthen control and monitoring of fisheries rules particularly through the creation of the EU's future Fisheries Control Agency, which is to be based in Vigo (Spain). The document presents Commissioner Borg's plans for a much-needed simplification of the EU financial instruments earmarked for the fisheries sector: the proposal regroups into one single instrument the different legal instruments that currently deal with fisheries. This includes data collection, governance, Regional Advisory Councils, and the EU's contribution to the member states' fisheries control expenditure. According to Commissioner Borg, "this simplified approach will provide more transparency and show the Union's commitment to the implementation of CFP reform".