France, Germany and Poland have issued a public statement coinciding with the meeting of fisheries ministers at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 29 June.

The declaration states that quotas should remain the key management tool of the reformed CFP, and relative stability should be maintained. The countries are also clearly against any move towards individual transferable quotas (ITQs) as marine resources should not be privatised. Member States should be responsible for allocating fishing rights.

This declaration clearly positions these countries against other major EU fishing states, in particular Spain, who wish to see a move towards ITQs and more fisheries management through effort control.

At the Council meeting, where the CFP reform was discussed, the declaration apparently received support from Ireland and Portugal, but other states were less enthousiastic to varying degrees.

France, Germany, Poland: joint declaration on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (in French)

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