Infographic - Setting catch limits and quotas
Main results
Ministers kicked off negotiations on the three regulations fixing fishing opportunities for 2021 in certain areas of Atlantic and North Sea, Mediterranean and Black Seas as well as for certain deep-sea stocks (the latter also for 2022). They also approved Council conclusions on an EU-wide animal welfare label. Finally, 23 member states supported presidency conclusions on front-of-pack nutrition labelling, nutrient profiles and origin labelling.
Agriculture
Animal welfare
The Council approved conclusions on an EU-wide animal welfare label, inviting the European Commission to submit a proposal for a harmonised label on food produced under animal welfare standards higher than those in EU legislation. Through the conclusions, ministers also called for gradually including all livestock species in the label covering their entire lifetime (including transport and slaughter) and ensuring a smooth interplay with existing labels.
Front-of-pack nutrition labelling, nutrient profiles and origin labelling
Also in public session, ministers discussed the draft conclusions on front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPNL), nutrient profiles and origin labelling, as prepared by the presidency. Ministers generally agreed on the importance of an EU harmonised FOPNL, also with a view to promoting healthy and sustainable diets. They also encouraged the European Commission to prepare a legislative proposal based on a comprehensive impact assessment. While there was broad support from member states for the text prepared by the presidency there was no consensus. With the support of 23 member states, the presidency will issue the text as presidency conclusions.
Other topics on the agenda
The presidency informed ministers about the conference on digitalisation and agriculture which took place on 2-3 December 2020 highlighting the importance of agriculture data and the need for guidelines on how to handle them. Also, the presidency informed ministers on this year's conference of directors of the EU paying agencies which focused on the prevention and detection of irregularities and fraud but also on the design of CAP strategic plans. Finally, the Croatian delegation presented a call to extend the eligibility period of the COVID-19 specific measures in the fisheries and aquaculture sector for further six months in 2021; the Commission responded that it will closely monitor the situation of the markets and intervene as necessary.
Live streaming
16 December 2020
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-09:00 Arrivals
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-Press conference (tbc)
Estimated schedule
Fisheries
EU ministers aim to reach an agreement on the fishing opportunities for next year for the following stocks:
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-Atlantic and North Sea
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-certain deep-sea stocks
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-Mediterranean and Black Seas
The Council is responsible for fixing total allowable catches (TACs) and allocating fishing opportunities. Decisions are taken on the basis of proposals from the European Commission.
Meeting information
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-Meeting n°3781
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-Brussels
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-15 December 2020
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-10:00
Preparatory documents
Outcome documents