France will be the main deal maker in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. They always are.
Anglo-French Deal to Gut Reform
As the United Kingdom cozy’s up to France, it looks like an anglo-french deal will be brokered sooner rather than later. As things stand, it looks like the only new things will be slightly clearer language on regionalization. The only major new measures being tabled, discards and binding MSY, look like they’ll be killed off by a glorious Franco-Albion union.
Back us or we blockade your ports
On Fisheries, France always is always the deal maker. Usually France leads the laggards. This makes sense in France. Their dying fleet blockade France’s prosperous ports and dynamic maritime industry if they don’g get their way.
The French government and politicians never seem to be mind this. I am sure there is even a taxpayer scheme that pays for the strikers. I have no problem with striking. I have a problem with illegal blockades, especially from an industry that in France makes a major loss year on year, and is only kept alive by the injection of EU and French taxpayers money. At the end of the day, it probably wins someone some votes. And, the idea to remove fishing licenses from fishermen engaged in illegal activity would be a step too far into modernity.
Reason Sometimes Flow
Sometimes common sense comes to the surface. President Sarkozy backed the CITES listing of Blue Fin Tuna. Even he recognized that the stock was collapsing and overruled his fisheries minister, Bruno La Maire.
New Regime – New Direction?
There is new political leadership in France. We will know soon if the changing in the guard means any new direction or whether it will be the same direction and policies steered by fresher faced captains.
When dealing with France on fisheries, I could never work out if the Minister or the civil service were really in charge.
M. Frédéric Cuvillier – New Leadership?
Frédéric Cuvillier is France’s new lead on fisheries.
Things are not promising. He’s already on notice against a discards ban. He thinks safety will be effected by having to store fish on board.
Leadership in fisheries is not easy. Fisheries Ministers and ministries very quickly see their job as defending their industry. Their track record is appalling. Declining jobs and stocks are often their record.
Time to Try Norwegian Cold Turkey
Some Ministers have gone cold turkey. A former Norwegian fisheries minister got so annoyed with the lack of movement he introduced a discard ban, ignoring the advice of his senior civil servants, and the blockades of the fishing industry. The Minister was right. The ban on discards worked. Norway’s impoverished fleet turned around and became prosperous. Stock grew whilst subsidies collapsed.Denmark followed Oslo’s lead. The results were similar
Perhaps it is time for Frédéric Cuvillier to visit Copenhagen and Oslo to see that the future is working today.