EU ministers agreed early on Wednesday a reform of the EU's fishing quota system that must now be approved by the European Parliament, where lawmakers are set on curbing overfishing. Ireland, which is chairing the talks under the country's six-month EU presidency, is trying to reconcile the conflicting interests of member states with the hardline stance of the European Parliament. The key sticking point is Parliament's insistence that discards -- the wasteful practice of dumping unwanted fish overboard -- should be banned. "We have agreed with a very strong support from the Council. Only one country didn't give support to an updated negotiating mandate for the presidency," said Irish Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney. European fishing boats have long discarded fish, by some estimates up to a quarter or more of their catch, before entering port to ensure they meet strict EU quotas. In the hard won compromise, fishermen would have the right to discard up to 5.0 percent of their catch at the end of a transitional phase instead of the 7.0 percent mooted in an earlier proposal. Ireland had warned that it would be a "disaster" if difficult talks on reform of the EU's under-pressure fishing regime failed to deliver an agreement, Ireland warned Tuesday, calling on all sides to compromise. Simple in principle, a ban on discards poses real challenges for fisheries and quota management, as well as increased costs for the industry in key states such as Spain.
GMT 15:21 2017 Monday ,16 October
India man-eating tiger dies after being electrocutedGMT 20:20 2017 Sunday ,08 October
White tiger cubs maul keeper to death in IndiaGMT 09:50 2017 Thursday ,05 October
Leopard on the loose in Indian car factoryGMT 18:49 2017 Wednesday ,04 October
Cats kill one million birds a day in AustraliaGMT 20:36 2017 Wednesday ,27 September
Wildlife groups accused of funding abuses against Pygmies in AfricaGMT 17:41 2017 Tuesday ,26 September
Wildlife groups accused of funding abuses against Pygmies in AfricaGMT 10:55 2017 Wednesday ,20 September
Wildlife pays the price of Kenya's illegal grazingGMT 16:45 2017 Thursday ,14 September
Elephants hide by day, forage at night to evade poachers
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor