Joe Borg asked to give details about his new portfolio

Joe Borg, EU designate Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, was asked in his hearing questionnaire to explain better the role he will be playing in the maritime sector.

The written questionnaire is part of the 'hearings procedure' adopted by the European Parliament prior to the approval of a commissioner. The commissioner designate is given a few weeks in which to send his answers to the committee.

Last week during the Fisheries Committee Meeting of the European Parliament, Philippe Morillon, chairman of the committee, said that one "still had to understand what the President of the Commission meant when assigning maritime affairs together with fisheries".

It was unclear, he added, whether Dr Borg also had to cover aspects related to transport and the environment since his portfolio included maritime affairs.

Dr Borg was assigned the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs portfolio by the European Commission's president designate, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, last month.

The fisheries committee president's declaration was reflected in the questions put to Dr Borg as part of his hearings procedure. In a specific question about maritime affairs, Dr Borg was asked to state the precise form of his responsibilities in the maritime field.

The fisheries committee also asked if the commissioner's jurisdiction covered maritime transport and maritime safety and whether he would commit himself to a close cooperation with the Transport Commissioner and the Parliament Committee on Transport to ensure full coherence with maritime transport policy.

Dr Borg is also expected to give more details about the assignment given to him to coordinate the formulation of a Green Paper on Maritime Policy. He was asked to say how far can different policy areas like aquaculture, maritime environment policy, maritime science and research be included in the Green Paper.

The questionnaire sent to Dr Borg includes also various questions about the fisheries sector, his main area of responsibility. Topics include the continuation of reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and its effect on consumers and fishermen, the management of fish stocks, the role of aquaculture and illegal fishing.

The answers Dr Borg submits to the written questionnaire serve as a basis for the most challenging part of the hearing procedure, which is a special session of the committee at which the commissioner designate is bombarded with questions he must answer orally. The session with Dr Borg is expected to be held in Brussels during the first week of October. The final date will be set next week.

Based on the outcome of this session, the Parliament will proceed to a formal vote of approval at its October session in Strasbourg.