FISHERIES AND MARITIME POLICY : 'MODEST' BEGINNING AHEAD.

Hungary's EU Presidency can already be credited with the headway made concerning its fisheries and maritime policies. As the country without a coast', Hungary has been modest on the issue and decided to benefit from Spain's assistance, so Spanish experts will be responsible for the Council's technical groups.

Their work will mainly focus on the continuation of preparatory discussions on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The year 2010 was marked by analysis and debate on the results of the public consultation launched by the European Commission in December 2009, and the EU executive is set to announce formal proposals as soon as mid-2011, meaning that there is little to be expected from the Council during this Presidency.

In addition, the Commission has announced that it will present proposals during 2011 for the stock management of...