We had long and intense negotiations, but finally we are here to announce that next year we will enter a new era of European fisheries.
The EU and Norway have signed three fisheries arrangements for 2020 making this the largest fishing agreement in the north of Europe.
On 16 and 17 December, the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius will discuss with EU ministers the Commission’s proposal for the 2020 fishing opportunities for the Atlantic and North Sea at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. The Council is also expected to adopt the Commission’s proposal on the 2020 fishing opportunities for the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea – the first proposal ever to cover the Mediterranean and a historic step towards the sustainability of fish stocks in that region.
Register now for the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Forum, taking place on 6 – 7 February 2020 in Brussels!
The European Commission has notified the Republic of Panama about the risk of being identified as a non-cooperating country in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
On December 10th, the European Union and the Faroe Islands have reached an agreement on reciprocal exchanges of fishing opportunities in each other’s waters for 2020. The new agreement allows for the exchange of a number of important quotas for the European Union, such as cod, haddock, saithe and redfish, with Norway pout and blue whiting for the Faroe Islands. The Parties have also agreed reciprocal access to each other’s waters for mackerel, Atlanto-Scandian herring and blue whiting.
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted on 10 December two resolutions on Oceans and Law of the Seas and on Sustainable Fisheries. In this context, the EU called for urgent, resolute and ambitious international action by all States in line with agreed commitments to counter the impacts of climate change on the oceans such as ocean acidification, ocean-warming, reduced fisheries catch potential and rising sea levels.
On 28 November, Commission President von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament and paid tribute to the millions of Europeans who “are taking action because it is the right thing to do. There are those who work hard to strengthen their communities. (…) People who want to make a difference. And we too, Parliament, Council and Commission, we must make a difference.”
In this episode, Euronews is visiting Seychelles to see some of the climate-related challenges that Small Island Developing States are facing — from coral die-off to coastal erosion, flooding, farming damage and freshwater loss due to salt water intrusion. Euronews talks to Seychelles climate adaptation officer Jean-Claude Labrosse, the EU Ambassador Vincent Degert, NGO activists and common citizens about the main threats associated with climate change and actions to mitigate their consequences, including the EU-financed climate change adaptation programme.
Healthy oceans are a priority in the fight against climate change. To highlight the role of science in policy-making and the opportunities provided by oceans in tackling the climate challenge, the European Commission is organising an ‘EU Ocean Day’ on 7 December during the COP 25, the UN Climate Change Conference (2 – 13 December 2019).
Our story of the month comes from Mauritius. Financed under the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA) between the European Union and the Republic of Mauritius, the project offers technical assistance for local fishers cooperatives for purchasing canoes and semi-industrial boats.
If you want to know what fishery products are exported or imported, when and where, what is consumed and by whom, what are the main trends of the European fisheries and aquaculture sector, then have a look at the newly released EU Fish market annual report. The 2019 edition provides analyses of landings, import and export origins and destinations, along with an overview of how EU Member States’ fisheries and aquaculture sectors fit into the global picture.
The International Commission for the conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) met for its 26th Regular Meeting of the Commission, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain between the 18th and 25th November 2019. The parties to ICCAT adopted 17 Recommendations and Resolutions this year: two in relation with the new ICCAT Convention; six in relation with control, monitoring and surveillance activities; one in relation with marine pollution; as well as eight in relation to the conservation and management measures of marine species.
For 25 years now, the EU has been empowering citizens and local communities throughout Europe to engage in regional development. A conference will take place in Brussels on 3-4 December2019 to exchange best practices and highlight current successes of “community-led local development (CLLD)” and look to the future. With the support of CLLD, local communities around Europe are taking the initiative to shape the changes they want to see.
In parallel with the European Maritime Day (EMD) Conference in Cork (14 & 15 May 2020), the EMD In My Country 2020 events will take place all over Europe for the public at large (from April to June 2020).
European peace and prosperity depends on safe, secure and clean seas and oceans. But adequate maritime security requires excellent cooperation between coastguard authorities, agencies and other bodies at regional, national or European level.
The EU will attend the “International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability – Strengthening the Science-Policy Nexus” organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome from 18 to 21 November.
Every year, some 8 million tons of plastic enter the sea. As it slowly degrades, plastic marine litter turns into microplastics, becomes ingested by animals and in turn enters the human food chain. The EU is determined to solve this issue once and for all. But public policy and legislation alone cannot solve this problem: a clean ocean is the responsibility of all.
The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) gathered for its annual meeting in London from 12 to 14 November 2019. During the meeting, the European Union and the other contracting parties agreed on a number of conservation and management measures for 2020, covering several fish stocks, such as, blue whiting, Atlanto-Scandian herring, mackerel, porbeagle, basking shark, deep-sea sharks, chimaeras, rays and Rockall haddock.
The blue economy of the EU Atlantic area is one of the largest in Europe. It counts for €65 billion gross value added and employs over 1.2 million people. But what’s in for it next?
