Reaching the end of August, a difficult summer is ending. Now we have to speed up. The economic recession, deepening in some European countries, underlines the basic need: we have to promote concrete measures for enhancing the employment and the quality of life of young people. The basic danger is still there: our children will live in a way worse than our own. Hence, our proposals have to invest to future. “Sustainability” is now the important word, still it needs a concrete political translation.
At the beginning of the summer I presented the proposal for a fisheries policy for the future, now under discussion in the Ministers Council, the European and national parliaments. This proposal is exactly about sustainability: we try to ensure the survival of sea stocks, in order to have new employment opportunities in fisheries and aquaculture sector
There were already a lot of reactions, some of them very skeptical or negative. Is this approach realistic? Is this change too radical for the social situation of the fisheries sector? Is the environmental aspect overwhelming the social one?
These opinions are based on some of the facts of the present reality. Not the whole reality of course. They focus only on short term facts, but these facts are very important for some people. We have to give answers. Similar opinions appear whenever the European Commission has proposals for changes. Strong reactions appear when the changes seem to be substantial.
After this summer’s experience I would like to stress once more that the radical change of our fisheries policy is inevitable for sustainability. For the concerns I do have something to add.
We have serious studies proving the economic benefit of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield for our fisheries sector in long term.
In short term we will face any difficulty putting into force special measures for small scale fisheries and coastal areas. We can use our funds to ensure better prices and profits for the fish we catch, to persuade our citizens to consume all kinds of fish, to introduce concrete labeling for fresh fish all over Europe, to enhance a lot of complementary activities – both for vessels and coastal families – for spawning periods and areas, when the vessels have to stay ashore.
In comparison to the present situation it is worth to try.
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Tags: CFP, common fisheries policy, Employment, EU, fishing, sustainability
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Sustainability also needs a concrete practical translation!
“In short term we will face any difficulty putting into force special measures for small scale fisheries and coastal areas.”
Please can you clarify what this means? It sounds like unmitigated support for small scale fisheries and coastal areas. Is that right?
If so, that is good news; but this did not come out clearly in the July 13 packet.
The measures proposed look interesting.
There should also be incentives to promote sustainable fishing practices, employment and responsibility “at the water face”. For example through allocating priority access to such practitioners.
The Commission’s proposal contributes to the protection of small-scale coastal fisheries in three main ways:
First, Member States may exclude small-scale fleets from the Transferable Fishing Concessions system, may limit the transfer of Concessions to within the small scale segment and may introduce additional safeguard measures.
Second, the special restriction of access to the 12 mile zone is maintained, as well as the empowerment of Member States to take conservation measures within that zone. Member States can also safeguard small-scale coastal fisheries by differentiating between small and larger vessels when it comes to implementation measures in the context of regionalisation.
Third, the enhanced role and new powers of producer organisations, as well as the new labelling rules, should fully benefit small-scale fisheries, allowing them to add value to their products, to improve their market position and to participate more actively in fisheries management.
Finally, these measures should be supplemented by specific proposals concerning small-scale fisheries in the upcoming European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which will offer a range of initiatives and actions to boost small-scale fisheries and coastal development as well as accompanying financial support.