Advice and Recommendations

The Advisory Councils called on the European Commission to support their work on attracting new members by increasing the visibility of ACs as well as promoting their achievements. The ACs collectively feel there is a role for the Commission to play, and that efforts in this regard could be strengthened.

The Pelagic, Long Distance, North Western Waters, North Sea and Markets Advisory Councils produced a joint-lettter informing the Commission of the set up of the newly formed ‘inter-AC Brexit Forum’, composed of the ACs impacted by Brexit. Through this Forum, the ACs wish to address horizontal issues with the Commission specifically in the context of UK-EU fisheries management. In its recommendation, the Forum has formulated a number of key questions in relation to the setup and operational mode of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries (SCF) moving forward, and sought to establish a formalised framework for consultation on specific topics prior to relevant SCF meetings. The members of the Inter-AC Brexit Forum reiterated their plea for structured stakeholder engagement in SCF proceedings and invited the Commission to actively support our ambitions towards transparent, just and sustainable management of shared resources. The Forum invited the Commission to attend its next meetings on 5 May and 2 June 2022, to contribute to the discussions with details concerning developments in the SCF.

In its response, the Commission supported the establishment of the inter-AC Brexit Forum and provided further detail on the functioning of the SCF in response to the different queries raised by the ACs in the letter. PelAC members were pleased with the quality of the interaction with the Commission in the following Inter-AC Brexit Forum meeting.

The Inter-AC Brexit Forum sent a follow-up to the previous two letters concerning stakeholder engagement in future management and governance post-Brexit, as well as addressing the Commission’s response to these. The Commission’s direct engagement with the Inter-AC Brexit Forum has been particularly welcomed by the members most affected by Brexit and is considered critical for further endeavours to set the course of the Inter-AC Brexit Forum, the establishment of which the Commission services clearly supported. The Forum remains open to establishing a framework for formal consultations on specific topics prior to relevant SCF meetings. As the Forum evolves organically from one meeting to the next, its structure and format are being determined through iterative, consensus-based processes. One of the resolutions of the last meeting related to the scheduling of Forum meetings within one week after every SCF WG meeting to allow for timely transmission of relevant information on SCF procedures through the Commission’s SCF debrief. The Forum invited the Commission to its next meeting in September 2022.