Norway and the EU in Agreement on Cod Quotas Outside Svalbard
After a series of meetings led by Norway's MFA Espen Barth Eide (to the left) and Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič, Norway and the EU have reached an agreement on several management and quota issues regarding fisheries that have been unresolved since the UK left the EU. The picture is from a previous meeting between Eide and Šefčovič. (Photo: Lukasz Kobus / The European Union).
Norway and the EU Commission have agreed on several issues related to fisheries that arose after the UK left the union.
Norway and the EU have agreed on several management and quota matters regarding fisheries. These have been unanswered since the UK left the EU.
The Norwegian MFA and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries reported this in a press release on Monday.
"Respect for our important principles regarding Norwegian fisheries management and sovereignty is fundamental to our relationship with the EU. It is, therefore, positive that we have agreed on important outstanding issues in fisheries," says Norwegian MFA Espen Barth Eide (Labor).
Agreement on cod quotas
One of the unresolved matters that the parties have now agreed on is Norway's allocation of cod quotas to EU countries in the Svalbard Fisheries Protection Zone.
"Since the 1980s, Norway has allocated a Northeast Arctic cod quota to the EU in the Svalbard Fisheries Protection Zone. When the UK left the EU, the union's fishing quota was reduced, and the EU has objected to the size of its quota," writes the government about the background of the agreement.
"As part of the agreement with the EU, Norway will set the EU's quota to a level corresponding to the current EU countries' cod fisheries in the zone before Brexit. For 2025, the quota will be 9,217 tonnes. Norwegian fishers' cod quotas will not be affected," reads the press release.
Furthermore, the EU commits to ensuring that all catches of cod in the fisheries protection zone as well as the Loop Hole, are within the set quota by Norway. This entails a strengthened management of the critical cod stock in the Barents Sea.
"The agreement will provide predictability in the Norwegian determination of the EU cod quota in the Svalbard Fisheries Protection Zone, as well as ensuring that all cod fished by EU vessels, also in the Loop Hole, will be determined by the Norwegian-set quota," says Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Labor).
The agreement has been confirmed through an exchange of letters between Norway and the EU after a series of meetings led by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič.
