Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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176. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on proposals to harmonise EU legislation on fishing gears, bycatch rules and small catches (details supplied). [3879/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The proposal referred to by the Deputy concerns the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures.

Technical Conservation measures are rules on how, where and when fishermen may fish, also determining gear, catch composition and ways to deal with accidental catches. Up until now, these detailed and complex rules have been decided at EU level through a lengthy adoption process, and over the years this regulatory structure has become highly complex.

The aims of the proposal are to:

- Optimise the contribution of technical measures to achieving the key objectives of the new Common Fisheries Policy that came into force on 1 January 2014.

- Create the flexibility required to adjust technical measures by facilitating regionalised approaches (consistent with the objectives in Union law).

- Simplify the current rules in line with the Commission's REFIT programme (the European Commission's Regulatory Fitness and Performance programme). The new proposal replaces fully or partially nine co-decided Regulations, amends and simplifies five others, and repeals over 10 Commission Regulations. 

The proposal largely retains the existing conservation standards, however it extends conservation to ecosystems (area closures and other technical limitations to avoid unwanted effects on the ecosystems or the sea bed), marine habitats (in particular in connection with environmental legislation such as the Habitat and the Marine Strategy Framework Directives), and non-commercial and sensitive by-catch species.

The proposal is being considered under the co-decision process whereby the Council and the European Parliament separately examine the proposal.  Once both institutions have established their respective positions negotiations take place to try and agree a common final text. The Council agreed its general approach last summer – supported by Ireland- while the Parliament only concluded its deliberations last week. 

Over the coming weeks and perhaps months, negotiations will take place between the two institutions on this very complex proposal.

We are analysing the EU Parliament amendments with a view to making clear the issues of concern and the elements that we can support. 

My officials and I are working, in close consultation with industry stakeholders, to try to ensure that any final agreement is practicable, sensible and will facilitate rather than hinder the industry in reaching our common objective of sustainable and profitable fisheries.