The Task Force mandated by the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission to move ahead with the development of Multi-annual fisheries Management Plans under the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), has concluded its work under the Greek EU Presidency. On April 7, it agreed on a report, which contains recommendations on the core elements that should appear in the Multiannual Plans, depending on the level of complexity of the fisheries concerned. As this issue is a priority of the Greek Presidency, the conclusion of the Task Force’s work is a success.

In particular, for the Mediterranean, where fishing is multi-species, the implementation of Multi-annual Management Plans will support the recovery of fishing stocks. On the occasion of this agreement, the President of the AgriFish Council, Athanasios Tsaftaris, made the following statement: “The finalisation of multi-annual management plans is another success of the Greek Presidency under the reformed CFP. Multi-annual Management Plans, as a key fisheries management tool, will support the stocks to recover and fishing activity to become more sustainable and profitable.” The report will be discussed at a future meeting of the Council and European Parliament.

See also Greek News Agenda: Key Agreement Benefits EU Agrifish Sector