The World Wildlife Fund’s Tony Long is calling the task of reforming the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) “an enormous public policy challenge.”
But Long, the director of WWF’s European policy office, remains “optimistic” and said, “Factors for change are, I think, in place.”
Last year the European Commission published a green paper on reform, slated for 2012, to the bloc’s cumbersome CFP. In the document officials admitted five key failings in the CFP, including fleet overcapacity, imprecise policy objectives and a framework that fails to give sufficient responsibility to industry.
Speaking at the Seafood Choices Alliance Seafood Summit in Paris earlier this month, Long showed his support for a “chain of values,” which sees value injected into all participants in the seafood supply chain.
“Ecological values” for fisheries must come at the top of the list, because “that’s how value will come into the sector,” he asserted.
Long also echoed a common desire for the CFP that top down management is eschewed in favor of a structure that allows local fisheries to take the lead.
“The WWF would like to see a CFP with management plans tailored to the needs of each region. Local people know their fishery best,” he told conference attendees.
Plus any change to the current fisheries regime needs to fit into the timeframe, adding an extra pressure to negotiations, said Long.
A further factor in the negotiations, underlined Long, are the new powers conferred on the European Parliament following the recent implementation of the Lisbon Treaty in Europe.
Reform of the oft-criticized subsidy system and how to restore confidence into the seafood industry were also cited by Long as impending hurdles in the race to chisel out a fresh CFP by 2012.
