Speeches
Fisheries
Perspectives for European Aquaculture
31/03/2014
Read Commissioner Damanaki's speech below on the challenges and opportunities of aquaculture.
Commissioner Damanaki participated on March 31st to a Workshop on Aquaculture in Athens. The Conference focused on the "Developmental Perspectives of European Aquaculture in the new programming period 2014-2020". It has been the occasion for Commissioner Damanaki to emphasize the opportunities of the sector as well as to come back on the funding support provided by the European Union.
"Let juveniles become parents"
17/03/2014
Eating juveniles prevent the fish from growing up and reproducing. Though it threatens the Mediterranean stocks, - 80% of Mediterranean fish stocks are overfished -, juvenile consumption is a common practice across the Mediterranean sea basin. This is why Commissioner Damanaki has hosted today an event in Athens calling consumers to "Let juveniles become parents".
The event was hosted in the framework of the pan-European campaign Inseparable raising awareness on sustainable practices of fishing, consuming and of trading as well as on the reformed Common Fisheries Policy. In the current difficult economic period, protection of juveniles is not a luxury but an essential policy. It will help us protect the rich resources of coastal areas and the income of our fishermen.
A wide range of stakeholders made it to the event in Athens. Fishermen, scientists, chefs, fishmongers, teachers, students, consumer and civil society organisations committed to more sustainable ways of fish consumption.
As part of the event, Commissioner Damanaki proclaimed as EU goodwill Ambassadors for sustainable fisheries 3 Greek chefs: Mrs Argiro Barbarigou, MM. Lefteris Lazarou and Dimitris Skarmoutsos.
Find more about the Inseparable campaign here.
Fishing Overcapacity: time to move forward at global level
13/03/2014
Commissioner Damanaki, Sir Richard Branson, Minister Tsaftaris and Pierre-Yves Cousteau exchanged views today on fishing overcapacity in the framework of the International Capacity Conference taking place in Thessaloniki from March 13 to March 14. Ministers, stakeholders and high-level participants are discussing fishing overcapacity during these two days.
Maritime affairs
Welcome address to the EU-Latin America Parliamentary Assembly
28/03/2014
Commissioner Damanaki addressed today the 7th ordinary plenary session of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) organised in Athens. EuroLat is a joint multilateral Parliamentary Assembly created in 2006. It is composed by half of Members of the European Parliament and by half of Members of Parliaments from Latin American countries.
Commissioner Damanaki delivered a welcome address on the economic potentials of the Atlantic Ocean, shared amongst all Member countries.
Read Commissioner's speech below.
Blue Growth: building the blue economy
17/03/2014
Commissioner Damanaki participated in Athens today in the meeting of the Chairpersons of the Committees on Production, Trade and Maritime affairs from all national parliaments of the Member states. The meeting held in the Greek Parliament in Athens was the opportunity to discuss Blue Growth and the ways forward to build the blue economy.
Read Commissioner Damanaki's speech below.
Tourism: the key for a sustainable future for Europe's coastal regions
10/03/2014
Read Commissioner Damanaki's speech at the high-level Conference on Coastal and Maritime tourism organised on Monday March 10th in Athens by the Greek Presidency, the Greek Ministry of Tourism, and the European Commission.
The event is bringing together industry, stakeholders, and policy makers to discuss how the European Commission's Strategy for Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime tourism, adopted on the 20 February 2014, can have a transformative effect on local jobs and economies in Europe's coastal regions.
Greek Prime Minister, Mr Antonios Samaras, Greek Minister for Tourism, Ms Olga Kefalogianni, Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, and Mr. Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission, Commissioner responsible for Industry, Entrepreneurship and Tourism are speaking alongside Commissioner Damanaki during this event. This Conference will be followed by an informal Ministerial meeting chaired by Ms Kefalogianni (see more pictures) and panel sessions on sustainability and dialogue in the sector, and growth and innovation for the blue economy.
The 11th March event will bring together 300 companies for business to business sessions on food processing and aquaculture, blue biotechnology, energy, ICT and tourism, as well as a Conference on the challenges and opportunities presented by online marketing.
