On Thursday 10 April, the S&D Group in the European Parliament called on the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, to propose an ambitious ‘European Act for the Ocean’, centred on sovereignty and the creation of quality jobs.
The Social Democrat Group stresses that a strong ocean policy is essential to meet the geopolitical, environmental and socio-economic challenges facing Europe’s citizens. And a ‘law on the oceans’ should enable Europe to become a truly global maritime power, in his view.
With regard to fishing in marine protected areas (MPAs), the S&D group is asking Mr Kadis to ban unsustainable and “high impact bottom-contact fishing activities in all those MPAs which have as their objective the protection of habitats on the ocean floor”. However, it intends to preserve the use of adapted fishing gear with low impact on the seabed, “that is already the standard in many coastal and artisanal fisheries today”.
The S&D Group expects this law to lead to concrete socio-economic benefits: boosting renewable energies, reinforcing food security and creating quality jobs in the regions concerned.
Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French) said that the EU should assert its role as a maritime power by protecting ecosystems. In his words, this means investing in “offshore wind and marine renewable energies, decarbonising maritime transport, promoting affordable and sustainable fishing and banning destructive practices”.
See the letter from the Social Democrat MEPs: https://aeur.eu/f/gdk (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)