On 29 June 2016 the Council of Fisheries Ministers and the European Parliament reached a political agreement to amend the rules currently in force for cod stocks (a long-term plan, also known as the cod recovery plan, which has been in force since 2008). The agreed draft regulation discontinues the effort regime as it prevents the full application of the landing obligation to the areas of the cod plan - thus granting more flexibility to fishermen. It also simplifies the rules on allowable catch limits for the time being and brings them in line with the new Common Fisheries Policy - pending a new set of more permanent management plans that will cover the North Sea and the North Western Waters respectively.
Both the European Parliament and the Ministers stressed that the measures on selectivity and discard reduction that were developed under the cod plan should be maintained or further developed, as they can ease the phasing-in of the landing obligation for demersal fisheries which started at the beginning of this year.
