Negotiations on fisheries have been provisionally closed with the 10 countries which, according to the EU, could be ready to join by 2004, the Malta-EU Information Centre said in its latest round-up of negotiations.
The 10 countries are: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Negotiations on this chapter were also closed with Bulgaria and Romania.
The main issues addressed in the negotiations under this chapter were administrative capacity, as well as certain specific requests put forward by individual applicant countries. These requests concern the inclusion of further species in the regulation on the common market organisation or the definition of specific management regimes in certain waters.
EU law under fisheries consists of regulations, which do not require transposition into national legislation. However, the applicant countries are encouraged to introduce legislation before accession, firstly to prepare the administration and the operators to their eventual participation in the Common Fisheries Policy ahead of accession, and secondly to provide for the eventual implementation of the acquis provisions as from accession.
The acquis under the chapter of fisheries does not prescribe any particular organisational pattern of the administration. However in the areas of market policy and of resources conservation, inspection and control, and fleet registration, it lays down very detailed requirements both in terms of tasks to be fulfilled and in terms of means and methods to be used. The acquis on resources management varies in content depending on the fisheries areas involved (for example Atlantic, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean).
Special arrangements were obtained as follows:
Bulgaria: Opened March 2001, closed May 2001: none.
Cyprus: Opened April 1999, closed April 2000: to reduce fishing vessels operating outside the Mediterranean.
Czech Republic: Opened April 1999, closed May 1999: none.
Estonia: Opened April 1998, closed April 2000: none.
Hungary: Opened April 1999, closed April 1999: none.
Latvia: Opened October 2000, closed October 2001: Conservation regime in Gulf of Riga. Inclusion of Baltic sprat in the common market organisation.
Lithuania: Opened March 2001, closed May 2001: none.
Malta: Opened October 2000, closed June 2002: specific conservation management regime in a 25-mile zone. Inclusion of lampuka in the common market organisation.
Poland: Opened April 1999, closed June 2002: inclusion of Baltic sprat in the common market organisation.
Romania: Opened May 2001, closed June 2001: none.
Slovakia: Opened October 2000, closed October 2000: none.
Slovenia: Opened April 1999, closed April 1999: none.