Reform of the Common Fisheries Practice for the European Union
As reported by Fishnewseu.com, the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, delivered a speech last week in Berlin on reforming the Common Fisheries Policy.
The Commissioner said that she is determined to make the policy greener, simpler and leaner, more modern and consistent with the international standards. (Maria Damanaki expresses support for decentralised decision making, fishnewseu.com, March 18, 2011.)
She further said that the European Commission can no longer afford to legislate on every single technical detail and that their policies on fisheries have become too complicated, too detailed and too distant from the final users. What the EU should do is lay down the main objectives, fix the overall standards and prescribe the general principles. (Id.)
The Commissioner further noted that they have to switch to a sustainable exploitation of the seas and to an ecosystem-based approach to fishing. (Id.)
The speech highlights that a big piece of global fishing industry is focused on simplifying regulations while at the same time pursuing sustainable practices. While lofty goals, they may be ones that are inherently be at odds with each other since sustainability practices inevitably tend to lead to more regulation.
