"We have achieved a great success. We have managed to bring the lengthy negotiations, which lasted for almost two years, to a successful conclusion during the German Presidency. This means that it is now possible to start implementing the measures which are needed to allow the stocks of European eel to recover", declared Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, today in Luxembourg, following the vote on the measures to replenish the stock of European eel.
The Minister had made adopting the eel protection regulation a priority of the German EU Council Presidency in the fisheries area. "It was a matter of urgency, as, according to estimates by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the stock of European eel is outside its biological limits" said Seehofer. "The agreement reached today is therefore a great success for the stock of European eel."
Measures to protect this fish stock had been discussed at European level since the European Commission's communication to the Council and the European Parliament of 1 October 2003. However, the consultations came to a standstill in 2006, as the Member States' opinions differed too greatly. It was at the time not possible to reconcile the divergence in interests between the "Northern countries" on the one hand, interested more in catching adult eels, and the "Southern countries" such as France and Spain on the other, interested more in glass eels.
Detailed results, and the German Presidency's programme, can be found under www.bmelv.de.
