Developing countries: fisheries and poverty reduction

PURPOSE : to present the communication on fisheries and poverty reduction. CONTENT : the Commission has analysed the importance of the fishery sector to developing country societies. The analysis provides valuable guidance for the future design of development programmes. It also points to a need to develop sector programmes in priority countries. Certain additional guidelines are needed for interventions in countries with whom the Community has signed a fishery agreement. This communication puts forward specific proposals for what the guidelines for targeting Community interventions should be. There are also important implications for other Community policies, in particular the Common Fishery Policy. It is understood that the implications for the CFP will be taken up in a more operational manner in a separate section in the CFP Green Book (due early 2001) leading up to the 2002 CFP review. Through this communication, the Commission also wishes to draw the attention of the Council and the European Parliament to those aspects of CFP reform which directly relate to poverty reduction in developing countries.�