Multiannual plan for the Baltic Sea stocks of cod, herring and sprat: Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment

Briefing 05-02-2015

This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the proposal for Regulation establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea. The impact assessment has been prepared in line with the established procedure of DG MARE for the evaluation of fish stock management plans. The analysis of specific impacts remains rather general and both this and the problem definition could usefully have been strengthened and assessed in more detail. The language used is clear and accessible. Stakeholder consultation appears to have been thorough, although a breakdown of results would have been helpful. The question of impacts on SMEs, in particular, might merit further attention. This note, prepared by the Ex-Ante Impact Assessment Unit for the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) of the European Parliament, analyses whether the principal criteria laid down in the Commission’s own Impact Assessment Guidelines, as well as additional factors identified by the Parliament in its Impact Assessment Handbook, appear to be met by the IA. It is drafted for informational and background purposes to assist the relevant parliamentary committee(s) and Members more widely in their work.