On 10 May, during its plenary session, the European Parliament voted to give its final consent to the new Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Mauritania.

Today, the European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive which aims at improving the working conditions for workers in the fishing sector.

Romania has officially kick-started funding under the EU's European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for the period up to 2020. The launch of the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Operational Programme 2014-2020 (POPAM) took place on 21 April in the city of Tulcea in the Danube delta.

The 21st Session of the Fishery Committee for the Central Eastern Atlantic (CECAF) was held in Dakar, Senegal from 20 to 22 April 2016 with the participation of 23 Member countries, including the European Union, as well as observers from different regional and sub-regional fisheries organisations, cooperation agencies and NGOs. The Committee had last met in March 2012.

Many Mediterranean fish stocks are in a worrying state, with alarming consequences for income and jobs in the Mediterranean fishing sector. To highlight the need for action, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Karmenu Vella, yesterday launched the campaign #MedFish4Ever. More than 80 representatives from EU institutions, European regions, business, and NGOs gathered at the European Commission stand at the Seafood Global Expo in Brussels for the launch event.

Concerned with the steep decline of fish stocks in the Mediterranean, on 27 April Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella hosted a high level Ministerial meeting with fisheries ministers from countries bordering the Mediterranean. Nineteen out of twenty-two riparian countries were represented, as well as GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean), FAO and MEDAC (Mediterranean Advisory Council).

The EU and Canada today signed a Joint Declaration on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, sending a strong message of zero tolerance towards such criminal activities. The declaration was signed by Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, and the Canadian Minister of Fisheries Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Hunter Tootoo.

To reverse the dramatic decline of Mediterranean fisheries, Commissioner Vella commits to improve the state of the stocks and thus the economic prospects of the industry. At a global event in Brussels, he unveils a new strategy for the Mediterranean and launches a dialogue with Ministers from EU and non-EU countries.