Press Release: Commission welcomes Council decisions strengthening shift to long-term fisheries management

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached in Council on two important fisheries proposals. Ministers resolved outstanding differences on the multi-annual plan for Baltic Cod, thus avoiding the automatic quota cuts laid down by Council in December 2006 if the plan were not set up by 30 June 2007. They also agreed on a mechanism for redistributing non-utilised fishing opportunities paid for in advance by the EU under the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Greenland, so as to ensure that the best possible value for money is obtained. This follows on the adoption of a range of significant measures, including multi-annual recovery plans for eel and bluefin tuna, and a multi-annual plan for flatfish in the North Sea (see IP/07/788).