Evaluation of the marketing standards framework for fishery and aquaculture products
Date: 2018-01-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: common fisheries policy



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EVALUATION ROADMAP  






Roadmaps aim to inform citizens and stakeholders about the Commission's work to allow them to provide feedback and to participate effectively in future consultation activities. Citizens and stakeholders are in particular invited to provide views on the Commission's understanding of the problem and possible solutions and to share any relevant information that they may have.






Title of the evaluation




Evaluation of the marketing standards framework for fishery and aquaculture products






Lead DG – responsible unit




DG MARE - unit A4 (Economic Analysis, Markets and Impact Assessment)






Indicative Planning

(planned start date and completion date)




Planned start date : Q1 2018


Planned end date: Q1 2019






Additional Information




-






The Roadmap is provided for information purposes only. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by the document, including its timing, are subject to change.









A. Context, Purpose and Scope of the evaluation






Context 






EU marketing standards on fishery products ensure that the EU market is supplied with sustainable products and that these products comply with the same quality requirements, thus contributing to fully exploiting the potential of the internal market of such products and warranting fair competition and improving the profitability of production. Given the significant imports of fishery and aquaculture products into the EU market, marketing standards also ensure equal treatment between EU and non-EU products.


The current marketing standards cover fresh and chilled products
I
, preserved tuna and bonito
II
 and preserved sardines and sardine-like products
III
. 


The revised Common Market Regulation, adopted in 2013, confirmed the existing marketing standards while providing for the possibility to establish new/amended standards. However, during the evaluation of the regulation and the impact assessment leading to its revision in 2011 it was highlighted that marketing standards were too rigid and outdated, and that more flexible standards should be laid down to achieve the objectives of the Common Market Regulation and to take account of innovation in the supply chain for fishery and aquaculture products. A first step in this direction has been undertaken in 2015 by aligning minimum marketing sizes with minimum conservation reference sizes.






Purpose and Scope 






The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the extent to which the existing marketing standards framework for fishery and aquaculture products is fit for purpose, and whether it allows achieving the objectives of the Common Market Regulation. 


The results of this evaluation will form the base for a possible future impact assessment and legislative proposal to revise the current standards framework.


The evaluation should assess to what extent the EU marketing standards for fishery products are fit for purpose and what role they play for the actors involved in the supply chain as well as for consumers and control authorities in the Member States. The evaluation will also assess the coherence between the various pieces of legislation.


The evaluation will assess the performance of the marketing standards framework looking at the following criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added-value.


The evaluation will cover EU Member States and will assess the existing marketing standards in the context established by the revised CMO Regulation since 2014. To assess their performance in terms of controllability and uptake, a longer timespan will be considered (as a minimum starting from 1st January 2010).






B. Better Regulation






Consultation of citizens and stakeholders 






The consultation aims to obtain information from stakeholders and general public on the effects of marketing standards and their contribution to ensuring a fair and sustainable market for fishery and aquaculture products. In particular, questions will address the relevance of these standards in comparison to other private or international requirements, their applicability and the benefits / burdens that derive from their existence. The main stakeholders are operators (and associations) involved in the supply chain, as well as control authorities in the Member States and the Market Advisory Council. The general public may also wish to share their views.


The consultation will include both an open and targeted consultations:


The open consultation will likely be launched in the 2nd quarter of 2018 and will run for a minimum period of 12 weeks. The questionnaire will be available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish and Portuguese and replies can be made in any of the 24 official EU languages. The questionnaire will be accessible via the Commission's central public consultations page and via the website of the Directorate-General for Maritime affairs and fisheries.


The targeted consultations will be carried out to reach underrepresented stakeholder groups (e.g. SMEs) or actors with a specific interest in marketing standards (e.g. national control authorities). Collective consultations will also be envisaged to reach the supply chain operators in a number of Member States. 


The consultations will be advertised on the website of the Directorate-General for Maritime affairs and fisheries and through appropriate channels to targeted stakeholders. A summary of all consultation activities' results will be published on the consultation page once all consultation activities are closed.






Data collection and methodology 






To date, marketing standards have not been subject to a horizontal and comprehensive evaluation. Yet, during the revision of the Common Market Regulation it was found that marketing standards have been beneficial but were also one of the causes of 'underexploited market potential', since they were considered as too rigid and outdated. The evaluation of the impact of Common Fisheries Policy Control System also highlighted an increase in the number of infringements of marketing standards, despite the fact that the standards have remained unchanged.


This evaluation seeks to find more detailed information on the performance of the marketing standard framework. This additional evidence will be gathered through a study contract. The methodology for quantifying the regulatory benefits and costs will be agreed with the contractor in charge of the study.











(I)


 Council Regulation (EC) No 2406/96 of 26 November 1996 laying down common marketing standards for certain fishery products, OJ L 334, 23.12.1996, p. 1–15.




(II)


 Council Regulation (EEC) No 1536/92 of 9 June 1992 laying down common marketing standards for preserved tuna and bonito, OJ L 163, 17.6.1992, p. 1–4.




(III)


 Council Regulation (EEC) No 2136/89 of 21 June 1989 laying down common marketing standards for preserved sardines and trade descriptions for preserved sardines and sardine-like products, OJ L 212, 22.7.1989, p. 79–81.