RESTRICTED  
  
TN/RL/29  
 
18 April 2018  
(18-2422) Page: 1/3 
Negotiating Group on Rules   
 
 NEGOTIATING GROUP ON  RULES  
 
FISHERIES SUBSIDIES WORK PROGRAMME  
COMMUNICATION FROM T HE CHAIR  
This document sets forth the work programme on fisheries subsidies for the period May -July 2018 
as agreed by the Negotiating Group on Rules. It is unchanged from the version sent to all 
deleg ations by fax on 13 April 2018.  
 
 
MAY 2018 MEETING CLUSTER  
 
Theme : Capacity enhancing/capacity maintaining subsidies, subsidies contributing to 
overcapacity  and overfishing  
 
MONDAY 14/05/2018  
 
AM: Technical session : Member's presentations, exchange of information and experience – 
support to capital costs (vessel construction, modernization, renovation, etc.), and related 
policies, including how Members ensure  that such support does not harm sustainability 
(Open -ended informal)  
 
PM: Technical session : Member's presentations, exchange of information and experiences – 
support to operating costs (gear, bait, ice, fuel, labour, etc.) a nd related policies, including 
how Members ensure that such support does not harm sustainability (Open -ended informal)  
 
TUESDAY 15/05/2018  
 
AM: Time for bilateral meetings  among delegations  
 
PM Time for bilateral meetings  among delegations  
 
WEDNESDAY 16/05 /2018  
 
AM Thematic discussion : issues arising from past discussions and existing documents regarding 
capacity enhancing/capacity maintaining  subsidies, subsidies contributing to overcapacity 
and overfishing , including special and differential treatment  (possible discussion questions to 
be provided by Chair) (Open -ended informal)  
 
PM Thematic discussion continued : issues arising from past discussions and existing documents 
regarding capacity enhancing/capacity maintaining  subsidies, subsidies contributin g to 
overcapacity and overfishing , including special and differential treatment  (Open -ended 
informal)  
 
THURSDAY 17/05/2018  
 
AM Streamlining  of texts from RD/TN/RL/29/Rev.3 (for eventual inclusion in the TN/RL/W/274/… 
document): Scope (Article 2)  (Open -ended small group, based on a first draft to be 
circulated in advance)  TN/RL/29  
 
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  PM Validation  of streamlining from AM session (Open -ended informal);  
 
General  wrap-up, opportunity to raise other fisheries subsidies issues (Open -ended informal)  
 
________________________ ______________________________________________________  
 
JUNE 2018 MEETING CLUSTER  
 
Theme : Subsidies to fishing on overfished stocks  
 
MONDAY 11/06/2018  
 
AM: Technical session : Workshop/seminar with presentations by FAO, RFMOs, national fisheries 
authorities – how stock assessments are conducted in practice, in particular situations 
(including multi -species and data poor fisheries); identification of specific stocks that have 
been determined to be overfished; how those determinations were made; how  results of 
stock assessments are fed into fisheries management systems, including fisheries 
management/fisheries policy response to determinations of overfished status (Open -ended 
informal)  
 
PM: Technical session : Member's presentations, exchange of infor mation and experience – 
continuation of issues presented and discussed in the AM workshop, including information 
requirements imposed by national fisheries management systems and collection of that 
information from fishers (e.g., catch data, compliance wit h management requirements); 
(Open -ended informal)  
 
TUESDAY 12/06/2018  
 
AM: Time for bilateral meetings  among delegations  
 
PM Time for bilateral meetings  among delegations  
 
WEDNESDAY 13/06/2018  
 
AM Thematic discussion : issues arising from past discussions a nd existing documents regarding 
subsidies to fishing on overfished  stocks, including special and differential treatment  (Chair 
to provide some suggested questions to guide the discussion) (Open -ended informal)  
 
PM Thematic discussion continued : issues arising from past discussions and existing documents 
regarding subsidies to fishing on overfished  stocks, including special and differential 
treatment  (Open -ended informal)  
 
THURSDAY 14/06/2018  
 
AM Streamlining  of texts from RD/TN/RL/29/Rev.3 (for  eventual inclusion in the TN/RL/W/274/… 
document): Definitions (Art. 1)  (Open -ended small group, based on a first draft to be 
circulated in advance)  
 
PM Validation  of streamlining from AM session (Open -ended informal);  
 
General  wrap-up, opportunity to raise other fisheries subsidies issues (Open -ended informal)  
 
______________________________________________________________________________  
 
JULY 2018 MEETING CLUSTER  
 
Theme : Subsidies to IUU fishing  
 
MONDAY 23/07/2018  
 
AM: Technical session : Workshop/seminar with presentations by FAO, RFMOs, national fisheries 
authorities – how IUU determinations are made; whether lists as such are created, or TN/RL/29  
 
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  otherwise how such determinations are archived internally, made known publically; the 
subjects of the determinations (e.g., vessels, owners, operators); communications with and 
due process for the flag state and other subject actors (e.g., owners, operators); flag state 
processes when informed of an IUU allegation/finding by an RFMO or coas tal state; 
responsibilities of different actors (coastal states, other governments, RFMOs/RFMAs) under 
the international legal framework for the prevention, de terrence and elimination of 
IUU fishing (Open -ended informal)  
 
PM: Time for bilateral meetings  among delegatio ns 
 
TUESDAY 24/07/2018  
 
AM: Thematic discussion  – issues arising from past discussions and existing documents regarding 
subsidies to IUU fishing, including special and differential treatment  (Chair to provide some 
suggested questions to guide the discussion) (Open -ended informal)  
 
PM Thematic discussion continued  – issues arising from past discussions and existing documents 
regarding subsidies to IUU fishing, including special and differentia l treatment  (Open -ended 
informal)  
 
WEDNESDAY 25/07/2018  
 
AM Streamlining  of texts from RD/TN/RL/29/Rev.3 (for eventual inclusion in the TN/RL/W/274/… 
document): Transitional Arrangements (Art. 7)  and Institutional Arrangements (Art. 8)  
(Open -ended small gr oup, based on first drafts to be circulated in advance)  
 
PM Validation  of streamlining from AM session (Open -ended informal);  
 
General  wrap-up, opportunity to raise other fisheries subsidies issues (Open -ended informal)  
 
 
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