After more than four years of intense work

European Commission validates Spanish system for fisheries control

2017.1.19

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In this regard, the Commission thanked the General Secretariat of Fisheries for its fruitful collaboration over these years in implementing the action plan, and congratulates Spain on the quality of the work carried out and the progress made in improving its control system.

Action plan

In 2010, the European Commission detected several deficiencies in the Spanish fisheries control system, and hence initiated a process to audit the system during the years 2010 and 2011.

Against this backdrop, the Commission sent Spain several formal notices for having breached the fisheries control regulations, such as not having implemented the On-board Electronic Journal (Spanish acronym: DEA). The Commission warned the Spanish fleet that it could be banned from fishing in EU waters.

The Commission had already imposed two harsh fines on Spain for over-fishing mackerel quotas (in 2009 and 2010), which had forced our country to reduce its fishing possibilities until the year 2023.

In light of this situation, in July 2012, an action plan was established to correct the deficiencies in the management of our fisheries. After more than four years of intense work, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs has managed to implement a complete turnaround in the organisation and management of the fisheries control and inspection system in Spain, which is now acknowledged by both EU and international authorities to be of a high standard.

The application of the action plan, which has meant a total overhaul of the fisheries control and organisation system in Spain, with a significant effort in terms of both financial and professional investment, offers a good example for other EU countries involved in similar plans.

Spain has now managed to achieve excellence in fisheries control and is a global benchmark on the matter, as evidenced by having obtained ISO 9001:2015 certification in March 2016 for the raft of activities performed by the Sub-Directorate-General of Control and Inspection.

This accreditation guarantees the continuity of a quality system together with all its benefits, with ongoing monitoring of the procedures established and the establishment of corrective measures as and when necessary.