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Tag ‘Environment’

A EU COMMITMENT FOR A HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE BLACK SEA

Friday, October 14th, 2011
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The Black Sea

The Black Sea

Greece did not become a member of the European Union yesterday, but it was not so long ago either, so I have not forgotten the challenges that a young member has to face and the obstacles on the path of integration.

I believe I can understand of the peoples of the countries that most recently joined the EU. And I am committed to make them feel “part of the family”.

The European Parliament and civil society in Romania and Bulgaria voice their wish for a stronger and deeper cooperation for the Black Sea. And -within my competences- I aspire to make concrete our commitment to meet the expectations. I had already very good discussions with Bulgarian and Romanian authorities. They have done a lot. So, I was happy to invite them to Brussels.

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MERMAIDS’ TEARS

Monday, April 11th, 2011
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I imagine that if a modern Ulysses came across mermaids today, they would sing their sorrow for the way men are treating their home, the sea, and weep; but would mermaids’ tears then melt back into the sea or crystallise in poisoning microscopic gems? Researchers seem to have answered this question: plastic does not bio-degrade, it only breaks down physically, and so persists in the environment for possibly hundreds of years; waste fragment over time into small pellets, called mermaids’ tears. Read the full entry

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PLASTIC MEDITERRANEAN

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
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As Commissioner in charge of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, I fully support the petitions recently initiated by the Expédition MED, Change.org and Polygnosi concerning the continuous contamination of the Mediterranean Sea from plastic particles.

I understand the scale of the problem as well as the outrage of citizens at dirty beaches, at plastic bags found in deepwater Mediterranean canyons, at plastic particles ingested by marine mammals.

Preserving the Mediterranean Sea is not only a matter of environmental sustainability. It is also a matter of considerable economic and social implications.

The problem is really complex. It requires a combination of measures and a close cooperation at many levels (regional, national, European, international). Read the full entry

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BLOG ACTION DAY 2010 ON WATER

Friday, October 15th, 2010
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Today is the international Blog Action Day 2010, on the issue of water. I think we should all welcome this initiative. Water is both literally and metaphorically, “vital” for the very future of life on Earth.

You might think that as European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries my job deals with the seas and oceans and has little to do with freshwater issues. Not so I’m afraid. The natural cycles of freshwater and salt water are in fact strongly intertwined and can hardly be looked at in isolation.

Some examples?

- The effects of climate change on ocean circulation directly affect rain patterns on land, which in turn determine the presence – or not – of drinking water.

- The pollution of rivers causes not only scarcity of drinking water and all the related problems of water cleaning: it is also a problem for the seas, as 80% of all the pollution that the seas take in actually comes from the land. Read the full entry

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THE SPILL IN THE SEA

Monday, July 26th, 2010
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This is a tragedy beyond words. For more than three months now the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been affecting the marine environment, the maritime activities and the coastal communities. Having an amount of more than a million oil barrels spilled in the sea has depleted the oxygen concentration in the water and is leading fisheries and marine life to asphyxia. It has been reported that the number of vessels trying to limit this catastrophe is considered among the largest since the Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy.

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IS THERE A GREEN (OR BLUE) AQUACULTURE?

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
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Are you familiar with aquaculture?  Do you buy aquaculture products?  Whatever your opinion is, aquaculture is a key alternative to capture fisheries. It has evolved into an important economic activity, with a significant growth and job-creation potential in a number of Europe’s regions. It is a dynamic and diversified sector, with not only one, but many different types (marine finfish, freshwater finfish or shellfish). But we need more. As imports now account for more than 60% of fish in Europe, it is urgent and important that European aquaculture further develops so as to complement fisheries. Even if aquaculture didn’t exist, we would have to invent it. While the demand for fish and seafood supplies is steadily on the rise, the declining European fisheries stocks complicate the supply of fish to meet this purpose. The aquaculture production plays therefore a significant role in offsetting this ever-increasing gap, even if it has not risen so quickly enough.

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