The European Commission (EC) has adopted an action plan setting out how Croatia can overcome identified shortcomings in its fisheries control system, following an inquiry into irregularities last year.
Croatian authorities have agreed to the plan and have begun implementing it, according to the E.C.
Under the action plan, Croatia will work to improve its general control framework and data management, ensuring that catch data are comprehensively validated and cross-checked. The country will also modernize and update its fisheries website and set up an electronic system to exchange catch information with other European Union member states.
In May 2015, the E.C. asked the Croatian administration to look into irregularities affecting the compliance with certain rules of the E.U.'s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The inquiry was carried out by the Croatian authorities with the participation of commission officials, and was shared with the commission in September 2015.
The action plan developed with the Croatian authorities aims to address the shortcomings identified, in line with the procedure set out in Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 on fisheries control.
Action plans enforce the CFP through cooperation and dialogue, according to the E.C. With clear timeframes, benchmarks and reporting deadlines, they allow the E.C. to follow up on the implementation and the progress made, and have been shown to obtain good results, the E.C. said in a statement.
