COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 11-12 October 2021

 

Meetings Monday 11 October 2021

● Council of the EU   11/10/2021 21:44 | MEETING | Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 11-12 October 2021   On day one of the Agriculture and Fisheries meeting, ministers discussed Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022, fishing consultations with the UK and Norway, the CAP strategic plans and the revision of marketing standards for agricultural products. Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 11-12 October 2021 Main results - 11 October 2021 Fisheries Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022 Ministers gathered to seek a political agreement on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2022. In October of each year the Agriculture and Fisheries Council determines the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas per member state for the ten most commercially important fish stocks in the Baltic Sea, including herring, salmon and cod. The results of this year’s negotiations will be announced as soon as a decision is reached. Management of the EU's fish stocks (background information) Infographic - Fishing quotas after BrexitSee full infographic UK fish stocks Ministers held an exchange of views on fishing opportunities for stocks shared with the United Kingdom for 2022. Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, consultations with the UK on shared fish stocks are set to take place annually in line with the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The delegations provided guidance to the Commission on the position to be taken by the EU in these consultations. In particular, they emphasised the need to base TACs on the latest scientific advice and to comply with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy, taking the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability into account. Many member states also reiterated the importance of presenting a united front in these negotiations. Fish stocks shared between the EU and the United Kingdom (background information) ICCAT (website) EU-Norway and Coastal States fishing consultations for 2022 Ministers held an exchange of views on consultations with Norway and the Coastal States for fishing opportunities in 2022. Negotiations with Norway are due to take place between mid-October and late November, with Coastal State consultations commencing in late October. Delegations discussed the EU’s priorities and prepared the ground for these consultations. EU participation in Atlantic tuna meeting Ministers were asked to provide guidance to the Commission on the position to be taken by the EU at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which this year will take place virtually from 15-22 November. The discussion included, inter alia, proposed measures to manage tropical tuna (in particular bigeye tuna) and protect the shortfin mako shark, the recovery of bluefin tuna stocks, and the importance of avoiding a negative impact on small-scale and artisanal fisheries. ICCAT is responsible for ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources and safeguarding marine ecosystems. Its recommendations have direct implications for the EU’s annual fishing opportunities. Agriculture CAP Strategic Plans Under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which will cover the period 2023-2027, member states are asked to prepare strategic plans detailing how they will implement the provisions of the policy. Ministers discussed the state of play of the preparation of their plans, identified any challenges they were facing and reflected on the public consultation processes carried out with relevant stakeholders. They also called on the Commission to adopt a transparent approach to evaluating the plans, for example by providing clear assessment criteria and ensuring that as many guidance documents as possible are made public. Future of the CAP (background information) A fairer, greener and more performance based EU agricultural policy (infographic) EU marketing standards Ministers held an exchange of views on the revision of EU marketing standards for agricultural products. They underlined the importance of marketing standards and acknowledged the need to examine ways to improve them further, in particular with a view to contributing to greater sustainability, while also providing clear information to consumers and maintaining the competitiveness of EU products on the international market. Moreover, many of them expressed support for the Slovenian presidency’s proposal to revise the rules on labelling honey blends so as to indicate the countries of origin of the honey used in the blends. EU marketing standards set out minimum requirements for products that are traded between businesses or marketed to consumers. The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy envisages a revision of marketing standards aimed at increasing the sustainability of the food supply chain. Other considerations include the need to modernise certain standards and bring them in line with consumer expectations. Updating the rules on honey blend labelling is a key priority of the Slovenian presidency and the support expressed by member states today brings us a step closer to achieving this important aim.Jože Podgoršek, Slovenian Minister for Agriculture From farm to fork: making Europe's food healthier and more sustainable (background information) Any other business Ministers also received information from delegations on a number of topics, including Turkish IUU fishing in Greek territorial waters, the high price of fertiliser, the situation in the pig meat sector, the recent meeting of G20 agriculture ministers, the upcoming revision of the European quality policy, and a proposal to extend the temporary framework for State aid. Information from the Italian delegation Information from the Belgian delegation Information from the Croatian and Hungarian delegations Agenda highlights - 12 October Infographic - How the EU delivers the green transitionSee full infographic Fit for 55 The Council will hold a debate about the Fit for 55 package which was presented by the European Commission in July 2021. Ministers will discuss in particular the contribution of the agriculture and forestry sectors to the objectives laid out in the package. Fit for 55 (background information) How the EU delivers the green transition (infographic) EU forest strategy for 2030 Ministers will discuss the communication on the new EU forest strategy for 2030, which was presented together with the Fit for 55 package in July. Communication on the EU forest strategy 2030 Other matters The Slovenian presidency will inform ministers about the outcomes of the 2021 United Nations food systems summit which took place on 23 September. The Italian delegation will report on the meeting of G20 agriculture ministers which took place on 17-18 September. United Nations food systems summit (website) G20 meeting on agriculture (news story) Meeting information Meeting n°3817 Luxembourg 11 October 2021 10:00 12 October 2021 10:00 Preparatory documents Background brief Provisional agenda Provisional list of A items List of A items, non-legislative activities Outcome documents Outcome of the Council meeting List of participants