Additional conditions for year-to-year management of TACs and quotas

Ms MCKENNA called for the principle of a preventive approach, which was at the heart of environmental policy after Maastricht and Rio, to be retained in the area of the common fisheries policy. Pointing out that prevention was not an enemy of fisheries, she highlighted the positive effects of such an approach, which, by allowing depleted fish stocks to recover, created jobs and prevented the deterioration of the ecosystem. While she appreciated the MCKENNA report, Commissioner BONINO pointed out that the aim of the proposal for a regulation was to introduce a certain degree of flexibility into the management of TACs and quotas, which had been achieved through a compromise that involved the adjustment of quotas from one year to another and consideration of the different species. As a result, the Commission could not take over the amendments tabled: it would be pointless to take over amendments such as Amendments Nos 1, 2, 3, 10 and 11 as they covered the same objectives as other fisheries legislation; similarly, Amendment No 4 on the conditions governing analytical TACs only set out the basic principles of this common policy. The Commission would therefore support its initial proposal.