Advisory committee on fisheries and aquaculture

The Advisory committee on fisheries and aquaculture (ACFA) was set up in 1971 to represent the main stakeholders in the common fisheries policy (CFP) and enable the Commission to canvas their views on CFP issues and have an ongoing dialogue with the industry. The Commission has changed the structure of the committee several times in the past to make its decision-making processes more transparent and effective. These changes made have broadened the dialogue to include all interested parties, in particular the aquaculture sector and organisations from outside the industry.

ACT

Commission Decision 1999/478/EC of 14 July 1999, renewing the Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture [See amending act(s)].

SUMMARY

This committee gives the main stakeholders in the CFP the opportunity to analyse issues and take common positions. They can also pass on to the Commission their opinions on issues arising from the implementation of CFP legislation.

Structure and composition

The ACFA consists of a committee, a bureau and four working parties:

• committee - 21 members from a combination of trade bodies representing production, processing and trading of fisheries and aquaculture products and bodies from outside the industry representing the interests of consumers, the environment and development. They are appointed by the Commission on a proposal from the representative bodies in each field for a term of office of three years (renewable);
• bureau - consisting of the chairs and vice-chairs of the working parties and the chair of the Sectoral Dialogue Committee for fisheries. Its work mainly involves preparing the meetings of the full committee and planning the work of both committee and working parties.
• working parties - composed of experts representing trade bodies, civil society and scientific and/or economic bodies. Different experts are sent to each meeting from the EU-level organisations in each field, depending on the issues to be discussed. The working parties carry out the preparatory work for the opinion of the full committee.

Operation

The committee can be consulted by the Commission. It may also look at issues related to the implementation of CFP legislation, apart from those pertaining to industrial relations, which are dealt with by the Sectoral Dialogue Committee.

The working parties meet at the request of the Commission on the basis of an annual work programme decided jointly by the committee and the Commission. The committee decides the rules for: implementing the work programme, preparing and holding meetings, taking positions or drafting conclusions, formulating the opinions and recommendations prepared in advance by the working parties and the bureau.

Decision 2004/864/EC

This Commission decision changes the structure of the ACFA to reflect the rapid expansion of the EU aquaculture sector in recent years. To give this sector better representation, it expands the committee to include the vice-chair of the working party for aquaculture, taking the number of committee members to 21.

See also

• Page of Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture

Last updated: 24.07.2006