On Monday 18 July, EU Fisheries Ministers called for a proposal to improve coherence between the objective of a growing sustainable aquaculture sector in the EU and EU environmental legislation, including the Water Framework Directive.
The Council of the EU has adopted conclusions on EU aquaculture. The European Commission is called upon to timely identify effective EU-wide management measures to “prevent or reduce the damage caused by predators that have a negative impact on aquaculture”, including cormorants and otters (see EUROPE 12978/20).
Furthermore, the Council considers that the coexistence of marine aquaculture with other activities, such as renewable energy production (e.g. offshore wind farms), “should be further explored and best practices shared among Member States”.
The Council invites the Commission to consider proposing an amendment to the regulation on organic production and the labelling of organic products, which currently only allows shellfish and fish farming to be certified as organic under very strict conditions.
Hervé Berville, France’s new Secretary of State for the Sea, said the sector is “strategic for ensuring Europe’s food sovereignty”.
Link to the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/2oc (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)