The future of European fisheries and aquaculture was discussed by EU Fisheries Ministers at an informal Council of Fisheries Ministers, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in Bruges, Belgium, on 24-25 March.
In a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture said that Ministers of Fisheries noted their will to chart a course for the next political cycle, after the European elections, in June 2024, while at the same time it was emphasized that both sectors are of strategic importance for maintaining food security, but they face many challenges which makes it necessary to examine specific actions at the European level.
Permanent Secretary of the DG Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Costas Hadjipanagiotou participated in the Informal Council, accompanied by the Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research Marina Argyrou.
The meeting was chaired by Hilde Crevits, Vice-President and Minister of Welfare, Public Health, Family and F
isheries of the Flemish Government of Belgium. The meeting was also attended by the President of the Northwest Waters Regional Advisory Council (NWWRAC) Emiel Brouckaert, the President of the European Association of Fish Producers Organizations (EAPO) Ebsen Sverdrup-Jensen, and the Secretary General of the European Federation of Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) Javier Ojeda. Also participating were representatives of the EU institutions, Pierre Karleskind, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries and Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius.
In his intervention Hadjipanagiotou said that “the fisheries and aquaculture sectors face numerous challenges, such as overfishing, habitat destruction, the effects of climate change, market volatility and administrative complexity,” adding that the recent crises “have highlighted these challenges and the need to address them in order to have a resilient, attractive, sustainable and innovative fisheries and aquaculture sec
tor’. According ot the Cypriot official addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach that includes legal, economic and other aspects.
He also noted that the European Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund should be significantly strengthened so that it becomes an essential and useful tool for promoting the Common Fisheries Policy and the challenges faced by the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the EU.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
