Brussels, 25/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European fisheries sector has been sharply critical of the proposal on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) in a detailed position statement sent to Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki on Thursday 24 May. Europêche and Copa-Cogeca challenge, in particular, the abolition that the Commission would like to see installed of aid for permanent and temporary cessation of fishing activities.
Europêche and Copa-Cogeca believe that the proposed regulation could be improved. It has, certainly a number of points which they feel are positive: focus on innovation, improvement of data collection and stronger cooperation with scientists, greater involvement from fishermen in efforts to protect marine ecosystems, maintaining support for collective projects, coastal action groups and producer organisations, as well as significant encouragement for developing aquaculture.
“Nevertheless, the proposal contains certain contradictions. Although it falls within the framework of the EUROPE 2020 strategy which is primarily focused on increasing the rate of employment and promoting territorial cohesion, the Commission's primary objective is the environmental balance, using deadlines and timeframes which would threaten at least 20,000 direct jobs over the next five years”, the two organisations argue.
The sector represented by our three organisations requires measures aimed at: - enabling those fleet segments which need restructuring to do so; - encouraging fishing enterprises to develop an international dimension; - promoting investment in ports and infrastructure; - stimulating the creation of jobs in the catching sector, particularly for young people; - improving the quality of landed and farmed products; - specifically promoting small-scale fisheries; - responding to specific needs for reconverting the fleet, e.g. as a result of the suspension of fisheries agreements, increased operating costs such as diesel, natural disasters; - maintaining provisions for stabilising the markets (private storage aid, for example); - maintaining the compensation mechanism for tuna intended for processing.
Europêche and Copa-Cogeca question the abolition of support for permanent and temporary cessation of fishing activity. They stress that restructuring any economic sector, no matter which, “requires public financial support”, and draw attention to the consequences of abolishing support for the fleet, which include higher fishing vessel activity with a greater effect on resource use, and ageing vessels with an impact on the safety of those on-board. Europêche and Copa-Cogeca highlight that support for temporary cessation of fishing activity for fishermen and vessel owners is perfectly justified in situations where quotas are drastically cut.
The fisheries and aquaculture sector is facing immense challenges and the EMFF “should accompany the restructuring of the sector” as intended by the new reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP), with mechanisms allowing for progressive change which are necessary for putting innovative management systems in place. It should at the same time prevent the already “very difficult” social and economic situation from worsening, the organisations argue. (LC/transl.rt)