Article 47 (Updated 9 Apr 09)

Dec 03,2008 SACN

A copy of the full draft regulation can be found at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0721:FIN:EN:PDF

Working Paper: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SEC:2008:2760:FIN:EN:PDF

Article 47

a, Recreational fisheries on a vessel in Community waters on a stock subject to a multiannual plan shall be subject to an authorisation for that vessel issued by the flag Member State.

b, Catches in recreational fisheries on stocks subject to a multiannual plan shall be registered by the flag Member State.

c, Catches of species subject to a multiannual plan by recreational fisheries shall be counted against the relevant quotas of the flag Member State. The Member States concerned shall establish a share from such quotas to be used exclusively for the purpose of recreational fisheries.

d, The marketing of catches from a recreational fishery shall be prohibited except for philanthropic purposes.

http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/press_corner/press_releases/2008/com08_79_en.htm

Note: In a European context 'recreational fishing' mainly applies to men with nets, with angling mostly beneath the radar, but swept up in the definition as a matter of convenience.

Petitions:

No 10 Petition website

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/rsa-eu-proposal/

UKIP Article 47 campaign, including links to UKIP petition and downloadable poster

http://www.ukip.org/content/european-issues/894-join-our-fight-for-rights-of-anglers

Media Reports:

Various Press Releases (Updated 30 Jan 09 - Who Kills the Myth Killer Myths)

FishNewsEU.com

RTE News (includes link to video report)

British Democracy Forum

British Democracy Forum (2)

EFTTA

The Telegraph

email recieved 15 Jan:"I’ve just returned from a breezy couple of hours aboard a charter boat in Dartmouth Harbour with the reporter and film crew from the BBC 1 Daily Politics show, which will be broadcast just before lunch this coming Sunday. "

Angling Times

Yorkshire Post

Sunday Sun

BBC - The Politics Show

Video - Politics Show (South West)

Aberdeen Press & Journal

Meridian News

(Meridian ran major news stories on article 47, in both its evening Southern and South-East regions on 21/1/09, and later on the 10 O'clock News, both regions interviewing different sets of people)

Brighton Argus

Article and letter appeared in this week's Fishing News, the commercial fishing newspaper.

This is the West Country

Countryfile (1st Feb)

Politics Show - South (1st Feb)

EU Parliament Magazine

Herald Express

BBC Breakfast Show (Video)

Opinion:

Some Background

The Real Battle

Anglers Against Article 47 on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57278804782

Neil Parrish MEP's 'Save Angling' Website

http://www.saveangling.com/

Questions and Debates in Parliament on Article 47

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-02-27a.258420.h

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-02-04a.253400.h

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-02-04a.253428.h

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37555&SESSION=899

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2009-01-15d.325.3

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-01-22a.249755.h

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-01-22a.249749.h

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-01-27a.250838.h

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Next Steps (08 Jan 09)

Defra will now consider responses recieved and arrange meetings with stakeholder groups, coming to a UK position which will be communicated back to the EU.

The European Anglers Alliance has produced a response including comments from UK angling organisations which is delivered to Brussels as they continue lobbying in Brussels on behalf of all European Sea Anglers.

Anglers and Angling organisations are lobbying individual MEPs (and it's important that as many people as possible also get involved in lobbbying their own MEPs - http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public.do?language=en )

Meanwhile in the EU a Rapporteur has been appointed to co-ordinate responses and actions:

* Rapporteur. The Parliament's Committee on Fisheries has appointed as rapporteur Spanish MEP (Green Group) Mr Raül ROMEVA i RUEDA

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/expert/committees/view.do?committee=2359&partNumber=2&language=EN&id=28409

* The Committee on Fisheries will discuss the proposed regulation 21 January

* The Committee on Fisheries will vote on Mr Rueda's report 31 March (possibly with discussions also at the 2 March committee meeting)

* The Plenary voting is scheduled Friday 24 April.

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Information from the Baltic Regional Advisory Council :

The Czech Presidency: First half of 2009

There are four areas of work under the Presidency which includes:

The Control Proposal: the aim is to consolidate and simplify existing rules and to develop a new harmonised approach to inspection and control. The Czech presidency expects to deal with the proposal in detail in spring, so it can be adopted under the Swedish Presidency.

From the EAA:

The decision time is this Autumn under the Swedish Presidency (but could drag out). However, things are packed now.

The European Commission will stick to what they have drafted until very late and close to adoption time in the Autumn, but their thinking about what needs changed is influenced by input from stakeholders, the Parliament's report (in April) and formal and informal feed-back from the Member States.

The Commission will take onboard what they need to have the final Regulation text adopted by the Council in the Autumn

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Response submitted by the European Anglers Alliance (EAA)

http://www.eaa-europe.eu/fileadmin/templates/uploads/CFP__EU_s_Common_Fisheries_Policy/EAA_Initial_Response_Art_47_response_FIN2.pdf

EAA Notes:

http://www.eaa-europe.eu/index.php?id=7

http://www.eaa-europe.eu/index.php?id=105

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An EU Committee on Fisheries meeting where the Control Regulations containing Article 47 was discussed took place on 21st January 2009

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DEFRA is holding a first meeting with some of those who responded to their intial consultation in London on 27th January (further meetings are expected to take place around the country).

Later in the day, Article 47 is on the agenda of an 'Angling Summit' to be held in Westminster where the Fisheries Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies will be present, and attended by the angling press.

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28 Jan 09 - Officials from EU countries, working in Council Working Group, are working through and debating each article within the Control Regulations article by article, it is expected that they will not reach Article 47 until around mid-March.

Indications are that only the UK has raised Article 47 within the Council Working Group as a significant issue.

The UK is seeking further information and clarification on Article 47, before coming to a UK position, and is expected to launch a full public consultation in February on the Control Regulations.

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10 Feb 09 - From a speech today by Jo Borg Member of the European Commission - Responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/09/50&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Before I come to the end of my intervention let me say a few words about our proposal to reform the way we control fisheries activities in the future.

The most famous words contained in our proposal must be the words "recreational fishing". In some Member States our proposals in this regard have been misinterpreted alarming citizens that the Commission wants to start controlling millions of hobby anglers and impose quota restrictions on them. This would obviously be a crazy thing to do, and it is therefore not at all our intention to implement such a ludicrous system. Let me make clear once and for all that the hobby angler who catches a few kilos of fish every time he goes out fishing and uses it for his private consumption, will not be covered by the control regulation, even if he catches fish like cod which is under a recovery plan.

There are however facts and figures in abundance that show that certain forms of so called recreational fishing have a dangerously considerable impact on certain vulnerable fish stock. We cannot just keep restricting severely professional fishing on those stocks but give the recreational fishermen a free ride. They have to contribute as well to the conservation effort. It is with this balance in mind that the Commission will approach the issue in the context of negotiations.

We look forward to working with you on this question, on the whole control regulation and of course also on the reform of our policy. In any event, I know that we at the Commission can always rely on the Parliament to stimulate and support us in improving the lot of Europe's citizens.

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27 Feb 09

NEXT STEPS:

Next meeting in Committee: 2 March

Deadline for amendments: 5 March

Voting in committee: 31 March

Voting plenary: 24 April

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01 Mar 09

Suggested revised wording

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML COMPARL PE-420.021 01 DOC PDF V0//EN&language=EN

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24 Mar 09

Jo Borg Letter

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31 Mar 09

EU Press Release Following MEP's Votes on Amendments

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06 Apr 09

UK Government Position Announced

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09 Apr 09

EAA & EFTTA Comments

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