RESOLUTION ON FISHERIES
The ACP Council of Ministers,
– meeting in Brussels, (Belgium), on 24th and 25th November 2015
A. HAVING CONSIDERED the Report of the 4th Meeting of ACP Ministers in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture, held in Brussels from 22-23 July 2015 (ACP/84/089/15 FINAL);
B. RECALLING the Resolution on the establishment of the ACP Fisheries Mechanism, adopted in Addis Ababa, at the 87th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers, in June 2008;
C. FURTHER RECALLING the Resolutions of the ACP Ministers in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture adopted at their meetings in June 2009, in Brussels, November 2010, in Mahé Seychelles; June 2012, in Nadi, Fiji, and in July 2015, in Brussels;
D. AFFIRMING the important role that fisheries and aquaculture play in the social and economic development of ACP States;
E. REAFFIRMING the shared commitment of the ACP States to work towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 14; to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development;
F. HAVING REGARD to the proposed European Union (EU) Council regulation on opening and providing for the management of Autonomous Union tariff Quotas (ATQ) for certain fishery products for the period 2016 – 18;
G. CONCERNED with the sustained preference erosion of the ACP fish and fishery products in the European Union Market;
H. DESIROUS of ensuring proper stewardship of ACP fisheries resources and improving the competitiveness of production and trade in fish and fishery products;
1. Welcomes the Resolution of the 4th meeting of the ACP Ministers in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture held on the 22 – 23 July, 2015;
2. Calls for implementation of the ACP Strategic Action Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the priority areas identified in the Road map, to this end, instructs the Committee of Ambassadors to identify financing options from resources of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) as well as from other sources;
3. Calls on the European Union to remove Hake and shrimps of species Penaeus vannamei from the Annex of the proposed EU Council Regulation and review downwards the Tuna loins annual quota to 15,000 tons, at a higher tariff rate of 6%; and
4. Invites the President of Council to forward this Resolution to the Council of the European Union, European Commission and the European Parliament.
Brussels, 25th November 2015