Common Fisheries Policy
The Common Fisheries Policy is the fisheries policy of the European Union. It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch what amounts of each type of fish.
The Policy has been criticised both by scientists concerned with dwindling fish stocks, and by fishermen, who say it is threatening their livelihoods.
If ratified, the proposed European Constitution will formally enshrine fisheries policy as one of the handful of 'exclusive competences' reserved for the European Union, ie. wholly outside the jurisdiction of individual nation states.