EU/ICELAND : MACKEREL WAR: NEGOTIATIONS RESUME.

• Position: Brief article

The negotiations by the coastal states - the EU, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Russia - will resume in London, on 15 January, with a view to ending the mackerel war.

Since 2010, due to large stocks of mackerels in their waters, Iceland and the Faroe Islands have granted themselves high fishing quotas, to the discontent of Norway and the European Union. According to the European Commission, Iceland grants itself nearly one fourth (23%) of the scientifically justified quota of North Atlantic mackerel stocks. The EU and Norway denounce such a quota grab in this fishing zone and for this species, which is under shared management.

In February 2013, Iceland decided to reduce its quota by 15%, but the EU found this reduction "insufficient," saying it was an attempt to mask the initially excessive quota.

The latest negotiating sessions, held in autumn 2013, failed to produce results. The talks will...