Member of the European Commission - Maria Damanaki - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

Welcome to my website! - Commissioner Maria Damanaki

As European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries I am committed both to a strong and sustainable policy on fisheries and to the development of a viable and coherent maritime sector.

I will work to make a real and positive difference to those whose everyday lives depend on fishing and to our coastal environment.

Fisheries are more than just a source of food. For our coastal areas they are synonymous with security, culture and history. They constitute a way of life whose many difficulties are all too familiar to me, since I was born in a fisheries village on the island of Crete. Only profitable fisheries can guarantee the livelihood of fishermen and their families. And for fisheries to be profitable, we must harvest the fish in our seas in a sustainable way.

Yet our ambitions must not stop there. We must seek to go further and develop a European maritime space without barriers, providing security for citizens, fisheries and sea transport.

We also need strong, knowledge-based European marine research, together with innovative maritime spatial planning, to create a better environment and economic opportunities.

In addition, new perspectives and jobs can be generated through coastal tourism and the promotion of maritime skills.

The need for policies which give our fisheries and maritime communities a viable future has never been greater.

If we are to make progress on all of these issues, it is vital that stakeholders work together. This means involving not only the European Institutions – the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council – but everyone, right across Europe – and that includes you!

I invite you to browse through the pages of this website and find out more about the European Commission's maritime and fisheries policies.