Elements with tag sustainability
Last Friday, the Commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, attended the plenary of the European Social Dialogue Committee for sea fisheries. The social partners, ETF and Europeche, had a constructive dialogue with the Commissioner about the social dimension of the CFP. Fishing sector representatives called on the Commission to seriously take into account the fact that fish workers and the livelihood of their families very much depend on the decisions taken in Brussels. Yet, despite the fact that more and more stocks are fished at sustainable levels, the EU fleet and its fishers are disappearing year after year.
This week, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has unveiled its famous biannual report on the state of the World’s Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020 (SOFIA) that monitors global trends on fish production and consumption with a focus on sustainability [1]. The report brings about good news evidencing an increase of global capture fisheries production and an increase of seafood consumption, while confirming that the vast majority of landings come from biologically sustainable stocks.
This week, the Council adopted a regulation setting autonomous EU tariff quotas (ATQs) for certain fishery products for the years 2019 and 2020. The ATQ regulation covers species such as tuna, Alaska pollack, cod or flatfish for which a relatively high volume can be imported from non-EU countries at a reduced or zero-duty tariff. Up to 750.000 tonnes of fish will benefit from this scheme and will enter the European markets regardless of their origin, way of production, sustainability of the stock, labour standards or even if the third country has been identified by the EU for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Europêche believes that, in many cases, ATQs serve the sole purpose of getting a better price from non-EU producers, while putting pressure on EU producers’ prices and employment.
At its General Assembly held this week, Europêche confirmed the mandate of its President, Javier Garat, for another two years. Mr. Garat is Secretary General of CEPESCA, the Spanish Fishing Confederation.
In advance of the December Fisheries Council 2016, EAPO and Europêche have sent a joint position paper with general observations and relevant recommendations for about 25 stocks to the Council Members. As such the fishing industry is calling on the Council of Fisheries Ministers not to take the time table towards Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) as a dogma, but to apply a pragmatic and common sense approach to reaching the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) objectives.
The European fishing sector, represented by Europêche and EAPO, together with the Chairman of the Fisheries Committee, Alain Cadec Member of the European Parliament (MEP), co-hosted a triumphant Seafood Showcase reception yesterday evening in the European Parliament. The event, attended by MEPs, European Commission officials and stakeholders exhibited fisheries products from all across Europe detailing the sustainable way in which they were caught.
According to Europeche the ban, agreed yesterday by Parliament, the Council and the European Commission is arbitrary and only responds to political interests and not to real environmental threats. The ban is included in the regulation of deep-sea fisheries agreed upon yesterday.
Europêche and Chairman of the Fisheries Committee, Alain Cadec MEP, co-hosted their second triumphant Seafood Showcase reception yesterday evening. The event, attended by new DG MARE Director General Joao Aguiar Machado, was held in the European Parliament and exhibited fisheries products from all across Europe detailing the sustainable way in which they were caught.
Lors d’une des ses récentes réunions, l’organisation des travailleurs ETF et les représentants des entreprises Europêche et Cogeca ont formellement adopté une clause sociale révisée, à inclure dans les APPD avec les pays tiers, relative au travail et aux standards de protection sociale et vise à garantir des conditions décentes de travail pour les pêcheurs non européens travaillant à bord des bateaux opérant de le cadre de APPD.
La industria pesquera atunera de la UE acoge con satisfacción la nueva política diseñada para ayudar a la mejora continua de la sostenibilidad de los métodos de pesca, comprometiéndose a limitar el número de dispositivos de concentración de peces (FADs) que puede ser utilizado por cualquier barco pesquero.
En una de sus últimas reuniones, la organización de los trabajadores (ETF) y los representantes de los empleadores (Europêche y Cogeca) han adoptado formalmente una cláusula social revisada para ser incluida en los SFPAs con terceros países, que se refiere a las normas laborales y de protección social y tiene por objeto garantizar condiciones decentes de trabajo de los pescadores no comunitarios que trabajan a bordo de buques que operan en el marco de los Acuerdos Sostenibles de pesca con 3ºs países.
The EU tuna fishing industry has welcomed a major new policy designed to aid the continued improvement of the sustainability of fishing methods, agreeing to limit the number of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) that can be used by any one vessel.
The Commission will soon propose a regulation setting autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for certain fishery products for the years 2024 and 2025. The ATQ regulation cover species such as tuna, pollack, hake, shrimps, cod or flatfish, allowing relatively high volumes to be imported from non-EU countries without paying customs duties or at reduced tariffs. In 1992, barely 6 species representing 43,000 tons could be imported with reduced duties. In 2020, more than 15 species representing approximately 830,000 tonnes of fish entered annually the European market at zero duty. In other words, a staggering 1,928 % increase in volume. These seafood imports are benefitting from tax derogations, regardless of their origin, production methods, stock sustainability or compliance with labour standards. Thus, while the EU keeps an open-door policy for seafood imports, it’s bringing the EU fishing sector to its knees with never-ending waves of environmental and control standards. Europêche calls for po