EU ministers need to address a number of contentious issues. One of these concerns the catch limits for fish and the exact areas where fishing will be allowed next year.
However, environmentalists believe the EU is jeopardizing the sustainability of fish stocks by putting the interests of the fishing industry above the health of aquatic environments. They want Europe to show leadership in protecting the ocean, setting fishing limits in accordance with scientific advice and ending overfishing.
"The key to this advice is that the EU has said it is committed to climate action, is committed to ending overfishing and wants to be a leader in ocean governance. If it can't even set its fishing limits in accordance with scientific advice, then it sends a very bad message, " said Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish program director.
This new regulation could also be called into question by the issue of Brexit and access to fishing areas. So far the two sides, the European Union and the Kingdom, have failed to find common ground. But fisheries ministers are optimistic that a deal can be reached.
"We are in the final stages of negotiation. We hope there will be an agreement, but we do not know for now. I think all the fleets and all the fishermen involved or not in Brexit are affected by the situation. So the negotiations seem very difficult this year, "said _Luis Planas Puchades, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Discussions over fishing quotas will be paramount at the annual meeting in Brussels, but without a Brexit deal the new regulations may not be enforced.
