14 December 2010: EU ministers for fisheries and for agriculture met in Brussels, Belgium, on 13-14 December 2010, to discuss fishing opportunities in the Black Sea and a new agricultural policy, respectively.
EU fisheries ministers have reached a political agreement on fixing for 2011 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks applicable in the Black Sea, including a reduction of 10% in the EU total allowable catches (TACs) in the Black Sea for turbot and sprat. In addition, they agreed that regional cooperation on fishing in the Black Sea should be established to promote sustainable stock management. They also invited the Commission to propose the establishment of minimum landing and mesh sizes for the turbot fishery in the Black Sea, while underlining that the TAC levels established for 2011 have been set at a level taking into account the continuous application of national provisions existing in Bulgaria and Romania in this regard.
The EU Agriculture Ministers held a policy debate on a proposal for a new common agricultural policy (CAP), as proposed by the European Commission in its communication, “The CAP towards 2020: Meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future.” Many delegations argued that the CAP will still need to provide some level of farm income support in the future, as well as a safety net of market measures to help farmers cope with crisis situations, noting that these payments also should be seen as compensation for the higher standards, compared to those applied in third countries, which EU farmers have to comply with. Delegates also underscored that the CAP needs to improve the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, in particular by promoting innovation, research and training. Finally, delegations considered compensation for production difficulties in areas with natural constraints necessary to maintain farming activity throughout the EU and to preserve the diversity of agricultural landscapes.
The incoming presidency of Hungary announced that it will organize two more policy debates in January and February 2011 on: sustainable management of natural resources and climate action, and balanced territorial development. [Council Conclusions]