A quick solution is needed in order to move forward the reform of EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), EU's Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki said to the EU governments in the EU Fisheries Council on 22 April 2013.

With the occasion of the 5th steering committee of the ACP Fish II programme, held on 5th of February in Brussels, CTA Brussels met with Georges Mba-Asseko, Expert in maritime, coastal and fisheries ecosystems at the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), to discuss the situation of fisheries in Central Africa, and the opportunity of the collaboration with the EU, especially in the context of the programme.

A draft joint statement between the Canada and the EU on efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing was endorsed at the last Council meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries held in Luxembourg on 22 April 2013.

Progress in the negotiations for a new protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Morocco is slow, being stranded especially on issue of the financial counterpart from the EU and the issue of inserting a human rights clause, was reported at the last Council of the EU meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries held in Luxembourg on 22 April 2013.

An updated U.N. treaty governing the exploitation of deep-sea bioresources is urgently needed, EU Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki said on April 11 at a U.N.-sponsored conference in Paris, in an attempt to assure a rational and fair harvest of resources from in deep-sea areas.

The Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D., outlined on April, 8 the importance of building an EU-wide consensus to deliver effective security in the maritime domain, addressing thus one of Ireland’s EU Presidency priorities- the collaboration in the field of maritime safety, security and surveillance in the EU.

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The Council meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels on 18-19 March 2013 authorized the European Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the EU for a new protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement (FPA) with the Union of the Comoros.

The rules of origin for fisheries export is one of the key areas being discussed under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the EU and the Pacific African Caribbean and Pacific countries (PACP).

A red alert is on for two of Fiji’s major export commodities—fish, which earns around $200 million in foreign exchange annually—and sugar, which rakes in around $100 million a year.
This follows the possible blacklisting of Fiji by the European Union (EU) for having weak laws to tackle illegal fishing, and  the possible increase in duty for sugar exports, in case the country does not ratify the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA).