Wednesday

27th Sep 2023

Agenda

Fishing quota and no-deal Brexit preparation This WEEK

  • How much fishing will be allowed in 2019? EU ministers are due to decide in what traditionally is an all-night haggling fest. (Photo: Fredrik Ohlander)

Some EU institutions are slowly winding down towards the Christmas break, while others have a flurry of activity at the end of the year.

The week after the last EU summit of the year will still see plenty of action in the building of the Council of the EU, the institution where member states meet.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The week is kicked off with a meeting of ministers in charge of agriculture and fisheries. On Monday, they will discuss the European Commission's proposal for a new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the 2021-2027 period.

Diplomats and ministers have discussed the CAP proposal several times the past six months, and a key point of debate is the commission's plan to give back power to the member states on how they implement the CAP.

According to a progress report prepared by Austria, which holds the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year, the talks "have made it clear that delegations can back the proposed policy shift in principle, but that further improvements are needed to make the system more practicable".

Monday and Tuesday will also see negotiations between fisheries ministers about Atlantic and North Sea catch quota for 2019.

This annual haggling exercise normally lasts the entire night, so an outcome can be expected only on Wednesday morning.

Last year, the fish quota debate lasted until 7:41AM.

The EU has committed to keep fish quota limited to what scientists believe is just enough not to deplete certain stocks, but economic interests always impede on that goal.

"Like every year these negotiations are about finding a balance between the sustainability of our fish stocks and the needs of our fishermen," said Estonian minister for fisheries Siim Kiisler last year.

The environmental organisation WWF said in a report published last week that the situation was improving, but not everywhere.

"Europe's history of fishing beyond sustainable levels has made it more challenging to reach the objective of healthy fish and shellfish populations," the report said.

"In the North-East Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea, some fish and shellfish stocks have shown clear signs of recovery since the early 2000s, but further efforts are needed to secure long-term healthy fish populations in these regions," it added.

This year, Brexit will play an additional role, as the UK's fishing quota for 2019 will depend on whether the UK parliament accepts the EU-UK Brexit deal.

Brexit will dominate Wednesday (19 December), when the EU commission will unveil a set of preparedness measures in case the UK crashes out of the bloc next March without a deal.

The EU wanted to step up its preparation for the no-deal scenario after this week's EU summit, where British prime minister Theresa May failed to spell out to the other EU leaders how she plans to get the votes necessary in the London parliament to pass the Brexit deal.

Climate-neutral Europe

On Wednesday, energy ministers will travel to Brussels.

No big decisions are expected, but it will be the first time energy ministers discuss the commission's recently published strategy paper on achieving a climate-neutral Europe by 2050.

The next day, environment ministers will also debate the commission's climate paper.

They will also try to reach a common position about new CO2-emission limits for trucks, buses and lorries.

The bill, proposed by the EU commission, would require emissions to be 15 percent lower in 2025, compared to 2019.

Last month, the European Parliament decided in a vote that it wanted a 20 percent reduction target - the final goal will be a compromise of the three EU institutions.

There will be no formal meetings in the European Parliament. A few handful of MEPs will be on official business as part of delegations, one of them to Slovakia to inquire about the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak.

There will also be an EU-Kosovo and an EU-Ukraine meeting on Monday, another such meeting with Serbia on Tuesday, and an EU-Egypt conference on Thursday.

Fish complicates last push for post-Brexit deal

"If the UK wants a deal here, there's a deal to be done. If the UK wants to use fish as an excuse not to have a deal, then that could happen too," Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney warned.

EU failed to end overfishing by 2020: lost opportunity?

Environmentalists denounce that the EU failed to comply with the legal obligation to end overfishing by 2020, putting at risk the sustainability of fish stocks by putting the interests of the fishing industry ahead of the health of its waters.

China trade tension and migration deal This WEEK

An EU-China high-level economic is scheduled on Monday amid renewed tensions. Later this week, EU home affairs ministers will discuss the EU-Tunisia deal and the state of play of the EU pact on asylum and migration.

Spain's EU-language bid and UN summit This WEEK

While the heads of EU institutions are in New York for the UN high level meeting, Spain's EU presidency will try to convince ministers to make Catalan, Basque, and Galician official EU languages.

Von der Leyen's State of the Union address This WEEK

The EU's political season is back in full swing after the summer break, with the EU Commission president's State of the Union address on Wednesday. Meanwhile, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will also address the European Parliament.

Opinion

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Latest News

  1. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border
  2. EU Ombudsman warns of 'new normal' of crisis decision-making
  3. How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?
  4. Resurgent Fico hopes for Slovak comeback at Saturday's election
  5. EU and US urge Azerbijan to allow aid access to Armenians
  6. EU warns of Russian 'mass manipulation' as elections loom
  7. Blocking minority of EU states risks derailing asylum overhaul
  8. Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us