Adapting EU fisheries legislation to the landing obligation

Briefing 29-05-2015

The landing obligation, designed to end the practice of 'discarding' fish, is a central component of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy adopted in December 2013. In order to review the specific measures in current legislation which conflict with the landing obligation, the Commission has put forward an 'omnibus proposal' which provides a package of amendments to eight existing regulations. The changes proposed in the omnibus regulation concern fisheries technical measures and control rules. On technical measures, the proposal removes the existing provisions which forbid landing of fish of a certain size or species, and requires that these catches are landed and counted against quotas. The proposal would also modify the current control system with respect to the application of the landing obligation. On 28 April 2015, the Parliament adopted the legislative resolution on the omnibus proposal in first reading by 573 votes to 96, with 21 abstentions. The Council approved the legislative act on 11 May 2015. This briefing updates an earlier edition, of 23 April 2015 – PE 554.209.