Water, Marine & Fisheries

Our Work

IEEP’s fisheries work is focused on the development and implementation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and specifically on a coherent set of initiatives on specific topics such as fisheries subsidies, indicators of sustainable fisheries and inshore fisheries management. We are making significant contributions towards the major review of the CFP due to be agreed in 2012.

In 2012, the CFP will undergo its third major reform. The review process was officially launched in 2008, with the publication of a Commission “non-paper” which presented a frank and timely analysis of the CFP to date and called for a comprehensive review of the CFP. In April 2009, the Commission published the Green Paper on the Reform of the CFP which was open for consultation until the end of 2009. There were over 200 responses to the consultation from a range of stakeholders feeding in to the Commission’s proposals, and the next step in the reform process.

In August 2009, IEEP published its contribution to the reform process – Towards a reform of the CFP in 2012 – A CFP Health Check. In this document, we highlight some issues we consider of central importance in relation to the CFP reform. In the coming two years, the Fisheries and Marine Programme, building on its considerable experience of the CFP will be developing and executing a programme of work on the following:

  • Furthering implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management
  • Reform of the European Fisheries Fund in support of sustainable and responsible fishing
  • Future governance of the CFP

Our key work in this area includes:

Overcapacity – What Overcapacity? - Balancing fishing capacity with fishing opportunities continues to be a major challenge for EU Member States. This report, funded by the Pew Environment Trust, evaluated Member States’ compliance with their legal obligation to report annually on their efforts to achieve this objective.

INDECO – Development of Indicators of Environmental Performance of the Common Fisheries Policy. This study brought together both scientific and EU policy expertise to evaluate a set of biological, economic and social indicators selected with specific consideration of their usefulness, practicability and the extent to which they address the policy objectives of the CFP.

Regarding work in this area please contact:

Indrani Lutchman

More about our work in this area...

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