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Norway will meet with the EU during the second week in January 2023 to resume talks on reaching a fisheries agreement for next year
It has been announced that representatives from Norway will meet with the European Union counterparts during the second week in January 2023 to continue talks on reaching a fisheries agreement.
Every autumn, Norway and the EU negotiate a bilateral fisheries agreement for the coming year. The agreement deals with the exchange of fishing quotas and access to fish in each other’s zones, as well as management of joint fish stocks in the Skagerrak.
In the meantime, without a fisheries agreement in place for 2023, EU fishing vessels are effectively locked-out of Norwegian fishing grounds they traditionally fish, and Norwegian boats have no access to fish in the territorial waters of EU Member States.
Norwegian access to the Irish EEZ to fish blue whiting is one of the stumbling blocks to an agreement being reached, along with the EU requesting an increase in cod quota for Arctic waters of the Norwegian EEZ.
“It would have been easier for both parties, and especially for the fishing industry in the EU, which is dependent on access to fishing in Norwegian waters, if we had had an agreement ready before the turn of the year. We couldn’t do that. The plan is for the parties to meet again during the second week of January to continue negotiations. Norway is, and has through a number of negotiation rounds this autumn, clearly signalled that we are available and ready to negotiate and work constructively to reach the goal,” says Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran to Fiskeribladet.
