The European Parliament could reject a deal by EU ministers that would gradually introduce a far-reaching ban on fishermen throwing their catch overboard to comply with quotas, a key legislator said Wednesday.
The agreement reached in overnight talks marked an about-face in fishing policy, according to Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney who was chairing the talks as his country holds the EU's rotating presidency.
But EU parliamentarian Ulrike Rodust, who will lead negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament when it is asked for approval, said the phased implementation and partial nature of the ban would "not be an exemption but a loophole."
Under EU rules, fishermen must comply with quotas that limit them to a certain species of fish or an overall amount. Non-quota fish are regularly discarded, often dead, a practice condemned for overfishing and wastefulness.
EU fisheries ministers agreed that by-catch cannot be eliminated and a certain amount must be allowed, but the amount would be reduced over several years. Eventually, 7 per cent of unwanted fish caught at sea may be thrown back into the ocean after the ban is implemented gradually in various European waters, said Simon Coveney, Ireland's agriculture and fisheries minister, who chaired the meeting.
Only Sweden objected to the compromise. Negotiations will now begin with the European Parliament, which must approve the new policy. EU lawmakers are expected to take a tough stance after previously calling for stronger reforms.
The alliance of Greens in the EU parliament called the deal "depressingly unambitious," criticizing that it did not include a complete ban on discards as well as delays and limits to the proposals.
Animal rights group WWF also criticized the "loopholes" in the proposals, with the group's fisheries expert Anna Holl saying this would "enable the waste to continue."
Meanwhile EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki spoke of a "completely new reality." In April, she said she would discuss the possibility of providing EU money to fishermen to help with the investments required by the new regulations. Such investments could include buying new nets to catch specific fish.