Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§81 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other measures |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The EU has actively continued to participate in two types of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs): for highly migratory fish stocks (6 tuna RFMOs) and for other fish stocks (11 non-tuna RFMOs). The EU is also an active participant in multilateral negotiations on the law of the sea and international fisheries law under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and other international agreements and conventions dealing with fishing such as UN FAO, and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. The EU continues to cooperate with third countries and international organizations to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§82 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other measures |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Regarding arrangements with non-EU countries, the EU has two types of fishing agreements: "Northern Agreements" on joint management of shared stocks with Norway, Iceland and the Faeroe Islands (reciprocal agreements); and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs), in the context of which the EU provides financial and technical support in exchange for fishing rights, mainly with developing countries.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§83 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) aim at improving some aspects of earlier Fisheries Partnership Agreements, by stressing resource conservation and environmental sustainability in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of partner countries. For instance: European vessels must possess authorization to fish in waters in accordance with partnership agreements; and they may catch only surplus stock, which can be exploited in a sustainable manner (consistent with the MSY approach) based on scientific assessments provided by scientific committees or RFMOs' recommendations and on information exchanges with partner countries.
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Keywords
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Fish
Sustainable
Natural resources
Conservation
Environment
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§84 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other measures |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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There are two types of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) currently in force, tuna agreements and mixed agreements. While tuna agreements allow EU vessels to pursue migrating tuna stocks along the shores of Africa and the Indian Ocean, mixed agreements provide them with access to a wide range of fish stocks in a partner's EEZ. The EU currently has 12 active SFPA protocols in force with non-EU countries (Table 4.18). Additionally, the EU has nine dormant bilateral agreements without a protocol in force with Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Gambia, Kiribati, Mauritius, Micronesia, Mozambique, and Solomon Islands. This implies that EU vessels are not allowed to carry out fishing activities in waters of these countries.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§85 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Technical regulation or specifications |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Sustainable aquaculture is another focus of the new reform. Under the new CFP, the Commission establishes non-binding strategic guidelines on common priorities and targets for the development of sustainable aquaculture activities. These guidelines focus on four areas: simplifying administration procedures; securing sustainable development and growth of aquaculture through coordinated spatial planning; increasing the competitiveness of EU aquaculture; and promoting the EU's high quality and environmental standards.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§86 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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In accordance with the new CFP, the member States developed multi-annual plans for the development of sustainable aquaculture within their territories in 2014-15 which address the four priorities identified in the Strategic Guidelines for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture and proposed concrete actions to address them.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§87 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The Common Market Organisation (CMO) is an integral part of the reformed CFP. Its general objective is to guarantee sustainable fisheries and to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU fishery and aquaculture sector. The new CMO has moved away from a price and intervention mechanism to market-oriented production: only storage aid has been maintained for a limited period (i.e. until the end of 2018) to facilitate the phasing in of production and marketing plans. In addition, the new CMO aims at ensuring a level playing field in the market by means of common market standards (uniform requirements for seafood sold in the EU), regardless of the origin.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§89 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Technical regulation or specifications |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Additional information may be provided voluntarily such as the date of catch or landing, information on environmental, social or ethical matters, production techniques and nutritional content. This voluntary information must be clear, non-ambiguous and verifiable and may not mislead the consumer.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§91 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The newly reformed CFP requires member States to increase data collection and to share information. Data should be collected covering biological, environmental, technical, and socio economic issues for fisheries management in order to carry out the ecosystem-based approach in an effective manner. Every year each member State submits a report on their national data collection programmes, which are made publicly available. If a member State fails to carry out data collection and sharing in a timely manner, it may face a suspension or interruption of financial assistance.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/357/REV.1 |
S-IV§94 |
European Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Grants and direct payments |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has a total budget of €6.4 billion from 2014 to 2020, of which €5.7 billion are managed under shared management and allocated to the member States. €647 million are managed by the Commission for measures concerning the Integrated Maritime Policy, control and data collection, market intelligence, advisory councils, communication activities and voluntary contributions to international organizations. Each member State is allocated a share of the total budget, based on a number of criteria related to the size of its fishing industry established in accordance with Article 16 of the EMFF Regulation (Regulation No. 508/2014). Among the EU member States, Spain is the largest recipient of the funding (20% of the total EMFF), followed by France (10.2%), and Italy (9.3%). The member States can decide which measures covered by the EMFF to implement, based on their own operational programmes (discussed with and approved by the Commission) setting out their priorities and the relevant targets. As a general condition, the pursuit of the objectives of the EMFF shall not result in an increase in fishing capacity.
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