The Diplomat
European Union fisheries ministers yesterday reached an agreement on the allocation of fishing in the Atlantic and the North Sea for 2024 – also for 2025 and 2026 in the case of some stocks – and for fishing opportunities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for 2024.
The pact includes a 10.5% increase in hake catches for Spain, to 11,000 tonnes, which is “the most important figure of the century”, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, via his profile on the social network X. Planas celebrated the “very good result for Spain” of this pact, which went ahead with Italy voting against and Greece abstaining.
In the case of Spain, which on this occasion is holding the Presidency of the Council, the priorities in the Atlantic were the increase in southern hake, monkfish and megrim, as well as maintaining the quotas for pollack, sole and Norway lobster.
Sources from the sector told Europa Press that what complicated the agreement on Tuesday morning, after a night of negotiations, were the claims of France and Italy in relation to the effort in the Mediterranean, which Spain also sought to “cushion”.
While the Commission remained “inflexible” in its proposal to reduce fishing days by 9.5%, both countries have tried to mitigate this cut with an increase in compensation days, which was finally set at 5% if two of the conditions are met – selectivity, flying gates, area closures – and 6% if three of the requirements are met.
