COMUNIQUE ON FISHERIE

Brussels, 18 November 2009
Mr. Joël Morgan, Honourable Minister responsible for Fisheries, Seychelles
Chairman of the First Meeting of the ACP Ministers in Charge of Fisheries

Based on the mandate provided by the Resolution of June 2008 taken by the Council of ACP Ministers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the first Meeting of ACP Ministers in charge of Fisheries was convened from 2nd to 5th June 2009, with the view of creating an ACP mechanism for coordination and cooperation in fisheries.
At the end of its proceedings today, the 90th ACP Council of Ministers, meeting in Brussels approved the following:

1. The creation of an ACP Ministerial Fisheries Mechanism with the objective to shore up political support, both within the group and from its external partners.
2. The creation of a Trust Fund for the mechanism to be financed by the voluntary annual contribution of Member States and grants from other sources.
3. The adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the Mechanism including its functions as follows:
4. Monitor and evaluate major fisheries development, trade and cooperation activities with ACP partners and where necessary and appropriate, formulate recommendations for change;
5. Ensure recommendations of the Fisheries Mechanism are duly taken into account, inter alia, when major ACP-EU programs, projects and/or texts are being reviewed;
6. Promote the gathering and sharing of summarized strategic information between ACP countries at the highest political level;
7. Directly promote commonly shared objectives and aspirations of ACP States within fisheries with external players and partners – allowing the ACP to assume a pro-active stand in all relevant fora;
8. Provide, where needed and appropriate, strategic advice to member States in their negotiations on fisheries issues;
9. Propose programs and projects that take care of the interests, needs and aspirations of member States.
10. The facilitation of the creation of a high-level Joint ACP-EU body for fisheries by Fisheries Mechanism. Within the context of the  Second Revision of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, the Committee of Ambassadors would formalize the proposal to create an ACP-EU Fisheries Ministerial Committee, along the lines of the Development Finance Committee and the Trade Committee.
11. Inclusion of language in the revised Cotonou Partnership Agreement to provide for ACP countries to benefit from accompanying measures in a number of product areas, including fish and fishery products, to improve their competitiveness in the light of the effects of tariff liberalisation within the multilateral trading system
12. The working out of a flexible and negotiable timetable, allowing for a gradual ACP-level implementation of the EU regulation on IUU fishing within reasonable and practically feasible timeframes; and the request to the EC to delay the entry into force of the EU Regulation on IUU Fishing. This would ensure appropriate implementation, avoid disruption in trade from developing countries to the EU, and discourage inappropriate and fraudulent catch certification.
13. Development and submission of a formal position in response to the EU’s Green Paper on the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, focusing in particular on the external dimension of the policy
14. Instruct the Committee of Ambassadors in liaison with the new Management of the ACP Secretariat to take the necessaries measures in order to ensure the recruitment for the post of Fisheries Expert within the ACP Secretariat in line with Article 39 of the Fisheries Resolution of the First Meeting of ACP Ministers of Fisheries recommends Council to authorize the creation of the post of “Fisheries Expert”.
15. Mandate the Committee of Ambassadors to explore how the ACP countries affected by acts of Piracy could be assisted.
    With the above decisions of the ACP Council of Ministers, the ACP Fisheries Mechanism for coordination and cooperation in fisheries becomes operational.