Invita�on to the Defence of the PhD Thesis
Fishing for Change in EU Governance – Excursions into
the Evolu�on of the Common Fisheries Policy
Troels J. Hegland, Innova�ve Fisheries Management, Department of
Development and Planning, Aalborg University
Tuesday 1 May 2012 at 13.00 in Skibbrogade 5 (CWO), room C1.12
Supervisors: Professor Jesper Raakjær, PhD, DSc Jean Monnet Professor Emeritus Staffan Ze�erholm, PhD
Assessment Commi0ee:
Adj. Professor Sten Sverdrup-Jensen Prof. dr. ir. Jan P.M. van Tatenhove Associate Professor Seth Macinko, PhD
Innova�ve Fisheries Management Marine Governance, Env. Policy Group Department of Marine Affairs
Aalborg University Wageningen University University of Rhode Island
The defence will be followed by a small recep�on at Vestre Havnepromenade 5, “Den Prominente” (=the canteen)
Please sign up here: h1p://www.doodle.com/8zfur8s3eizuztqh (latest 26 April 2012)
The point of departure for the thesis is an understanding of the CFP as having failed to
deliver op�mal results since being set up in 1983. Not only has the policy, which is
intended to facilitate sustainable fishing, been unable to prevent a number of fish
stocks in European waters from decreasing to precarious levels, it has also, it is ar-
gued, contributed to the development and maintenance of a much too large combi-
ned European fishing fleet, which is for a significant part struggling with low profitabi-
lity.
In the thesis root causes of the problems of the CFP are iden�fied. These include an
inbuilt incen�ve at member state level to driB during implementa�on; an inability to
decide measures for specific seas or fisheries without those decisions being linked to
decisions regarding other seas or fisheries; a lack of convincing involvement of stake-
holders in EU level decision-making; as well as a failure to clarify and acknowledge the
distribu�on of roles and authori�es in the system.
In the thesis, among other things, the op�on of regionalising the governance system
of the CFP in order to put it on the right track is inves�gated. Although regionalisa�on
based on the regional seas (North Sea, Bal�c Sea, etc.) is only one reform possibility
among several, it is argued that it is an op�on that would poten�ally efficiently and
fundamentally deal with the problems, while at the same �me facilitate the move
towards more integrated marine management in accordance with other EU ini�a�ves
such as the Marine Strategy Framework Direc�ve and the Integrated Mari�me Policy.
