“No fish left on the plate” – Why a radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is needed – 22 June
Today, the 'Fish for the Future' group in the European Parliament organises a lunchtime presentation to explain the need for urgent reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Conference aims to raise awareness about the urgent need for a radical Common Fisheries Reform, ahead of the Commission's forthcoming proposal.
"The price of no reform 
[39 KB] " - speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki
Ahead of the event, Commissioner Damanaki said: "Environmental, economic and social sustainability are equally important. All three are at serious risk if we do not take action. If we don’t turn the helm away from the present course, we will loose one fish stock after the other and only 9% of our stocks would be at sustainable levels by 2022. Moreover, many fleets would become unprofitable and we'd continue to face a steady need to subsidize the sector, perpetuating overcapacity - and hence overfishing. The worsening of conditions of fish stocks would lead to a further loss of jobs and communities that today depend on fishing would gradually and inevitably decline. We need to build consensus for a profound reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Once it is adopted by the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council will need to maintain high the level of ambition, to meet the expectations of European citizens."
Commissioner Maria Damanaki will be joined by Professor Callum Roberts to give a historical analysis, Guus Pastoor from the EU Fish Processors and Traders Association, Tony Long from WWF, and Spanish fisherman Luis Rodriguez.
When? Wednesday 22 June, @12.30
Where? European Parliament room PHS 5B 001
For more information and registration: “No fish left on the plate” – Why a radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is needed
