Today the Commission, acting on the opinion of the Management Committee for Fisheries, which also met today in Brussels, decided to establish minimum prices for certain white fish imported from non- member countries. This decision, in the form of a Commission Regulation, will come into effect as of tomorrow, 26 February 1993. This decision, taken on the initiative of Mr Yannis Paleokrassas, Commissioner responsible for fisheries policy, in agreement with President Delors, completes the strategy which the Commission began introducing when the first indications of a major disruption of the Community market were brought to its attention by the Member States. 1. The crisis on the white fish market The white fish market (in particular: cod, haddock, monkfish, hake, coalfish) in the Community has recently been seriously disrupted because of imports at abnormally low prices from certain non-member countries. This disruption is all the more serious for Community producers in that it is occurring in a sector already weakened by the fish stock situation in Community waters and by a trend towards decreasing demand (and, therefore, falling prices) for fresh fish. 2. The Commission's strategy The Commission received the first indications of a deterioration of the market from information sent by Member States at the beginning of February 1993. It immediately developed a strategy to enable it to adopt appropriate measures where necessary. In particular, the Commission took the following initiatives, conceived as a system of graduated response: a) asking Member States to provide at one-week intervals the information the Commission needs in order to follow closely the evolution of the market; b) convening the Advisory Committee on Fisheries in order to involve those working in this sector in the decision-making process. This meeting took place on 22 February 1993; c) approaching the non-member countries most concerned (in particular Russia, but also Iceland and Norway) to try to reach an agreement which would stabilize the market and avoid deflections of trade; d) reminding Member States of their obligations with regard to control, in particular as regards compliance with health rules and rules of origin as well as resource management norms in the case of direct landings in Community ports by the vessels of non-member countries; e) convening the Management Committee in order to be able, having obtained its opinion, to introduce minimum import prices to eliminate from the market consignments of white fish coming from certain non- member countries and currently offered at abnormally low prices, thus causing a fall in prices throughout the market. This meeting took place today, 25 February. 3. The Commission's decision to establish minimum import prices Today, 25 February, the Management Committee for Fisheries gave a favourable opinion on the Commission's proposal to establish minimum import prices. The Commission today therefore adopted, on the initiative of Mr Yannis Paleokrassas, Commissioner responsible for fisheries policy, in agreement with President Delors, a Commission Regulation imposing minimum import prices on certain fishery products. These minimum prices are in fact equivalent to the reference prices set annually by the Commission(1); for the non-member countries, in addition to respecting these prices also have to pay a customs duty expressing Community preference. These prices have been set for imports of the most important species of white fish (fresh and frozen): cod, haddock, monkfish, hake and coalfish. The prices set are shown in the Annex. These prices will come into immediate effect in all the Member States (from the day of their publication in the Official Journal of the Communities, planned for tomorrow 26 February), and remain in effect for 4 months (until 30 June 1993). (1) The prices were set last December (as every year) by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3893/92 (OJ No L 392 of 31 December 1992), amended by Regulation (EEC) No 351/93 (OJ No L 41 of 18 February 1993). The white fish in question coming from non-member countries will continue to be subject to relevant customs duties which will be added to the free-at-Community-frontier reference prices : 12% for cod and 15% for the other species (reduced rates are applicable to certain imports coming from Iceland and Norway, on condition that the reference prices are respected). On the occasion of this decision, Commissioner Paleokrassas declared: "I consider that this decision should allow the correction of disruptions provoked by imports from non-member countries at abnormally low prices. The Commission will continue to follow closely the evolution of the market and gather a maximum of information from the Member States in order to be able to react rapidly should more restrictive measures prove to be necessary. The Commission hopes that the Member States, which are responsible for controlling the implementation of the common fisheries policy, will take the necessary measures for the effective implementation of the Regulation adopted by the Commission today". - - - ANNEX 1. Fresh or chilled products ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reference prices (in ECU / tonne) Species Size* Gutted fish with head* Whole fish * EXTRA, A* B EXTRA, A* B* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cod of the species 1 947 894 684 526 Gadus morhua 2 947 894 684 526 0302 50 10 3 894 736 526 421 4 705 484 400 284 5 494 284 295 189 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coalfish 1 484 484 376 376 (Pollachius virens) 2 484 484 376 376 0302 63 00 3 478 478 371 371 4 387 280 204 151 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haddock 1 696 618 541 464 (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)2 696 618 541 464 0302 62 00 3 596 502 417 286 4 526 433 394 270 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hake of the species 1 2819 2650 2227 2058 Merluccius merluccius 2 2142 2001 1663 1522 ex 0302 69 65 3 2144 1973 1635 1494 4 1804 1663 1409 1156 5 1691 1550 1325 1071 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whole fish 'Head off' * or gutted with head* EXTRA, A* B* EXTRA, A* B* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monkfish 1 1334 963 3462 2692 (Lophius spp.) 2 1704 1334 3269 2500 0302 69 81 3 1704 1334 3077 2308 4 1426 1056 2692 1923 5 815 445 1923 1154 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * The categories of freshness, size and presentation are those defined pursuant to Article 2 of Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92 2. Frozen products Product Presentation Reference price (in ECU/tonne) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Cod (Gadus morhua, |Whole: | Gadus ogac and | | Gadus macrocephalus)and| | fish of the species | | Boreogadus saida | | ex 0303 60 11 | | ex 0303 60 19 | | ex 0303 60 90 | | ex 0303 79 41 |- with or without head | 937 (|Fillets: | ex 0304 20 21 (|- industrial blocks with bones | (| ("standard") | 2 037 ex 0304 20 29 (|- industrial blocks without bones | 2 354 (|- individual fillets with skin | 2 230 (|- individual fillets without skin | 2 574 (|- blocks in direct packing weighing | (| not more than 4 kg | 2 462 | | ex 0304 90 35 |Composite blocks (force meat) | 1 011 ex 0304 90 38 | | ex 0304 90 39 | | | | ex 0303 60 11 |Individual whole fish and other flesh| 1 191 ex 0303 60 19 | | ex 0303 60 90 | | ex 0303 79 41 | | ex 0304 90 35 | | ex 0304 90 38 | | ex 0304 90 39 | | Product Presentation Reference price (in ECU/tonne) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Coalfish |Whole: | (Pollachius virens) | | ex 0303 73 00 |- with or without head | 617 | | (|Fillets: | (|- industrial blocks with bones | 1 223 (| ("standard") | (|- industrial blocks without bones | 1 347 ex 0304 20 31 (|- individual fillets with skin | 1 250 (|- individual fillets without skin | 1 383 (|- blocks in direct packing weighing | (| not more than 4 kg | 1 412 | | ex 0304 90 41 |Composite blocks (force meat) | 675 | | ex 0303 73 00 |Individual whole fish and other flesh 811 ex 0304 90 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Haddock (Melanogrammus |Whole: | aeglefinus) | | ex 0303 72 00 |-with or without head | 817 | | (|Fillets: | (|- industrial blocks with bones | 1 825 (| ("standard") | ex 0304 20 33 (|- industrial blocks without bones | 2 397 (|- individual fillets with skin | 2 172 (|- individual fillets without skin | 2 493 (|- blocks in direct packing weighing | (| not more than 4 kg | 2 433 | | ex 0304 90 45 |Composite blocks (force meat) | 807 | | ex 0303 72 00 |Individual whole fish and other flesh 954 ex 0304 90 45 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Hake (Merluccius spp) |Whole: | | | ex 0303 78 10 |- with or without head | 773 | | (|Fillets: | (|- industrial blocks with bones | 1 039 (| ("standard") | (|- industrial blocks without bones | 1 223 ex 0304 20 57 (|- individual fillets with skin | 1 058 (|- individual fillets without skin | 1 135 (|- blocks in direct packing weighing | (| not more than 4 kg | 1 224 | | ex 0304 90 47 |Composite blocks (force meat) | 779 | | ex 0303 78 10 |Individual whole fish and other flesh 1 026 ex 0304 90 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- * * *
