Main results of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 24 June 2024

Luxembourg, 24 June 2024

Fisheries

Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2025

Fisheries ministers exchanged views on the basis of a Commission communication on the state of play of sustainable fishing in the EU and the main orientations for the fishing opportunities for 2025.

During this discussion, they expressed their views on their main priorities for this year’s exercise of setting fishing opportunities for 2025.

Thanks to our action, the sustainability of EU fisheries is overall improving. We must continue our efforts to safeguard our fish stocks and support the industry’s efforts to modernise the fleet and reduce dependencies. This way, we can ensure a thriving and profitable fisheries sector, today and tomorrow.

Hilde Crevits, Belgian Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and the Family,
and responsible for Fisheries

Ministers welcomed the fact that the biological situation of our marine resources continues to improve, with the exception of the Baltic Sea where the environmental situation is particularly worrying and Russia’s fishing activities further undermine the EU’s efforts to rebuild the fish stocks in that basin.

Ministers also welcomed the upcoming evaluation of the common fisheries policy as announced by the Commission during the informal ministerial meeting that took place in Bruges in March 2024, under the Belgian presidency.

The Council stressed that many challenges, such as the energy transition and the related need for funding, remain for the EU’s fleet to guarantee an economically viable future for the EU’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors, which depend on healthy fish stocks.

When it comes to stocks shared with third countries, ministers agreed that it is important to ensure a level-playing field.

The Commission has invited member states, advisory councils, stakeholders and the public to provide feedback on the communication by 31 August 2024. It intends to publish its proposal for fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea at the end of August, while that for fishing opportunities in the Mediterranean and Black Seas is expected for mid-September. The Commission proposal for the Atlantic and North Sea is expected for the end of October.

The Council will seek to reach a political agreement on the proposal on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea at the October Agriculture and Fisheries Council, while a political agreement for the other two proposals is expected during the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

• Commission communication (background document)
• Commission communication – annex (background document)
• Watch the recording of the public session

Agriculture

Presidency conclusions on the future of agriculture in the EU

The Belgian presidency of the Council approved a set of presidency conclusions setting out a vision for the future of agriculture in the EU.

In the absence of consensus on the conclusions among member states, the presidency issued presidency conclusions, which were supported by a wide majority of member states.

The presidency conclusions stress the key role of the sector when it comes to ensuring food security and strategic autonomy and acknowledge the numerous challenges it is facing, including climate change, geopolitical tensions, profitability, and the administrative burden.

The presidency conclusions focus on several key elements for this future vision: a strong and competitive EU agricultural sector, innovation and cooperation, simplification, support for young and new farmers, as well as climate change resilience.

Current legislative proposals

Plant reproductive material

The presidency informed ministers of the state of play of the proposal to revise and update the rules on the production and marketing of plant reproductive material.

• Plant reproductive material – state of play (background document)

Forest reproductive material

The Belgian presidency also updated ministers on the progress made on the proposal on forest reproductive material (FRM), which aims to introduce updated rules for the production and marketing of FRM and to guarantee the quality of FRM available on the EU market.

• Forest reproductive material – state of play (background document)

Animal protection during transport

The presidency also informed the Council of the technical work carried out on the proposal to improve the protection of animals during transport.

• Animal protection during transport (background document)
• Watch the recording of the public session

Forest monitoring framework

Furthermore, the presidency briefed the Council on the work carried out on the forest monitoring framework proposal. The proposed regulation aims to establish a comprehensive and high-quality monitoring system for forests that would make it possible to track progress towards achieving EU targets concerning forests, including those related to biodiversity, climate and crisis response.

• Forest monitoring framework – state of play (background document)
• Watch the recording of the public session

Other business

Under ‘other business’, the Belgian presidency briefed the Council on the results of the symposium it had organised on 25 April 2024 on front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems. At the symposium, the different systems that currently exist in member states were explored and a dialogue on front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems took place.

• Front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems (background document)
• Watch the recording of the public session

The Council received information from the German delegation, on behalf of the Belgian, Estonian, French, German, Irish, Latvian, Netherlands, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish delegations, on the future development of fisheries relations between the EU and Norway.

Additionally, the Council publicly addressed the below topics raised by different delegations.

• The impact of Russia’s actions in the Baltic Sea and on the EU single market – Lithuanian delegation, with the support of the Estonian, Latvian and Swedish delegations (background document)
• Watch the recording of the public session
• Eligibility of expenses related to the purchase of breeding animals within the CAP strategic plans – Romanian delegation (background document)
• Management of funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development – Bulgarian delegation, on behalf of the Bulgarian, Czech, Greek, Lithuanian, Romanian and Slovak delegations (background document)
• The temporary crisis and transition framework for state aid – Bulgarian and Romanian delegations, supported by the Polish delegation (background document)
• Significant damage caused by adverse weather events (Croatian delegation)
• Watch the recording of the public session

‘A’ items

The Council also approved without discussion the items on the lists of legislative and non-legislative ‘A’ items.

Notably, the Council approved a Council general approach on a decision extending the membership and the tasks of the Standing Forestry Committee and changing its name to the ‘Standing Committee on Forests and Forestry’. This is in line with the EU forest strategy for 2030, which foresees a more inclusive and coordinated EU forest governance structure, given the multifunctional role of forests and their increasing contribution to the European Green Deal objectives.

• Decision on the Standing Committee on Forests and Forestry (Council general approach)

The Council also formally endorsed conclusions on the following topics:

• conclusions on the future of the World Organisation for Animal Health
• conclusions on the impact of reduced co-financing of phytosanitary and veterinary programmes and emergency measures

• ‘A’ item adoption
• Watch the recording of the press conference

Preparatory documents

• Provisional agenda
• List of A items, non-legislative activities
• List of A items, legislative deliberations
• Background brief

Outcome documents

• List of participants