Reform of the European Common Fisheries Policy is much more than a European matter.
DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT. With over 700 EU lagged fishing vessels fishing outside European waters, and many more owned by European companies under joint ventures or operating under third-country lags, Europe has positioned itself as the largest fishing region in the world.
The need for fish resources in the southern hemisphere has sidelined international conservation obligations, and many of the EU Commissions conidential reports clearly indicate that the European vessels continue to fish from stocks that are already over fished. It is therefore self-evident that the World Forum of Fisher Peoples has a duty to take part in the reform of the European fishing policy.