Where can I find out more about maritime jobs and education?
The 27 EU member states have different systems for informing people about vacant posts and different types of education. For that reason we can unfortunately not give specific information about maritime careers in all Member States. If you are interested in working or studying in another Member State, the EURES portal gives access to a great number of vacant posts, and information about learning opportunities.
You might also want to consult our web pages on maritime governance in EU Member States, which gives an overview of issues such as employment trends.
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
What are your main activities?
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is the Directorate-General responsible for the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and for the integrated maritime policy at the European Commission.
The CFP covers all fishing activities, the farming of living aquatic resources, and the processing and marketing of fisheries products, on the legal basis of Article 33 (ex 39) of the Treaty establishing the European Community. The work of the Directorate-General is varied and includes among other things: management of fisheries resources, management of the European fleet of fisheries vessels, aquaculture, data collection, control that rules are followed, fisheries agreements with non-EU countries, relation with other fishing nations in through international organisations, structural funds (the European Fisheries' Fund) and the market organisations for fisheries products. The DG has close relations with stakeholders, notably through the Regional Advisory Councils (stakeholder-led bodies that work with specific sea basins or specific stocks) and the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture, which works at European level.
The Integrated Maritime Policy was adopted in 2007. The policy is based on the awareness of the importance of the maritime sectors in Europe, and the potential benefits of treating these activities in an integrated way. The Commission has set up an Action plan and is working to realise the actions listed in that plan.
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is under the responsibility of Mr Joe Borg, the European Commissioner in charge of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs.
How do I find contact details to Commission staff?
There are several possibilities to contact Commission staff:
- In the DG Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries organisational
chart (
~
15 Kb) you can see how the Directorate-General for Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries is organised. - The Commission directory gives names, functions and contact details of Commission staff.
- If you have a general question related to the EU, you can contact Europa Direct. For specific questions about fisheries and maritime affairs, you are invited to use the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries mail box.
If you want to contact someone you can send an E-mail directly to that person. E-mail addresses are usually put together as follows:
Firstname.Familyname@ec.europa.eu
Example: the e-mail address of Jean-Claude Svenson is:
Jean-Claude.Svenson@ec.europa.eu
If you need help to obtain the e-mail address of someone in the Commission, please contact the address information service.
- You can send a letter to
The European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
If you know the exact Directorate General and service you want to contact, you may include their names in the address and the letter will reach the addressee faster. The Commission Directory allows you to search in several ways for contact details: by name, by directorate general and by keywords.
- You can send a fax.
The fax number to the Communication and Information Unit of DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is: +32 (0)2 299 30 40
- You can make a phone call - The EU Whoiswho database can help you find the direct numbers of managerial staff in the Commission, as well as contact details to people in the other European institutions. If you do not find the person you are looking for there you can dial the number of the Commission operator in Brussels, which is +32 (0)2 299 11 11.
How can I get in touch with fishermen's and fish farmers' organisations?
You can also consult the list of "Contact details of European Organisations members of the Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture" or contact members of the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs).
Does the Commission have direct contacts with fishermen?
Yes. Contacts are established on a regular basis through specific
meetings, visits or through the Advisory
Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (
~ 130 KB) as well as through the Regional
Advisory Councils (RACs).
The Commission also maintains regular contacts with fishermen and other stakeholders through information and consultation mechanisms as established in Council Regulation (EC) N° 657/2000 ( ~ 31 KB). This involves explaining the objectives of, and measures relating to, the Common Fisheries Policy and in particular Commission proposals, as well as the dissemination of relevant information in this field to the fishing industry and the groups concerned.
Moreover, fishermen, like everyone else, are free to contact the Commission, for instance by using the internet fisheries web site mail box.
How does the Commission manage its relation with the fishing industry?
In addition to informal contacts, the Commission consults and informs the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ACFA) ( ~ 130 KB) on all issues relating to the CFP. All major groups of stakeholders at European level are represented in ACFA, which is organised in the following 4 Working Groups:
- Group 1: Access to fisheries resources and management of fishing activities
- Group 2: Aquaculture: fish, shellfish and molluscs
- Group 3: Markets and Trade Policy
- Group 4: General questions: economics and sector analysis.
Moreover, in the framework of the reform of the CFP, Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) have been established. RACs are made up of fishermen, scientists and other parties whose interests are affected by the CFP.
For more information, please see the web pages on the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ACFA) and on the Regional Advisory Councils (RACs).
Where can I find statistics on EU fisheries, for example about landings and fish consumption in the Member States?
For detailed information about landings you should contact the authorities of the Member States concerned.
Basic figures on the CFP may be found on this site in the section "Statistics on the CFP".
You can also visit the website of EUROSTAT (the EU Statistical Office). The procedures to obtain further information are explained on the website.
For more global fisheries statistics you can visit the website of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), which also provides different fisheries statistics.
Where can I find contact details to the national fisheries authorities of EU member states?
DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries keeps a list of national fisheries ministries in EU Member States. For issues in relation to the European Fisheries Fund, please refer to our list of competent authorities ( ~130 Kb).
How do I find EU legal texts and official documents?
Legal texts
On our website you will find a selection of recent fisheries related documents. For a complete list of all EU legislation in force, including modifications, please refer to the EUR-lex database, Section 04, available free of charge.
The Official Journal can be ordered from your nearest sales agent of the Office for Official publications of the European Communities. It is also available on the EUR-LEX site.
Search for a document
If you are looking for a fisheries document and do not know where to look for it, you can try the search function on the Fisheries website.
You can also try the search function of the EUR-Lex site to search among legal documents.
How can I place an advertisement in your magazine or on the Fisheries website?
Sorry, we do not publish advertisements in any of our publications.
May I make a link to the Fisheries website?
Yes, of course! Linking to Commission websites for non-commercial and lawful purposes is authorized and free of charge. More information on how to make links is available on the Europa web site.
Can you include a link to my website on the Fisheries website?
Please consult our link page to see what kind of organisations and institutions we have linked to previously. If you would like us to make a link to your website, please use the mail box describing the activities and the structure of your organisation/website.