Press releases/news articles

One of the key actions put forward in the Joint Communication "An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic" is the setting-up of the Arctic Stakeholder Forum, a temporary platform for EU institutions, Member States, regional and local authorities to discuss how to better streamline EU funding opportunities relevant for the Arctic region and how to enhance collaboration and coordination between different EU funding programmes.

Next week Spain is celebrating the Day of Aquaculture (Día de la Acuicultura). This year there is a special focus on sustainability with the campaign 'Say Yes to Sustainable Aquaculture' which has been launched on September 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment. Spain is also the first Member State to have launched a school project within the communication campaign #FARMEDintheEU

Important conservation and management measures for 2017 were adopted, most of them at the initiative of the EU, at the 35th Annual Meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC).

At its 20th Special Meeting from 14 to 21 November 2016 in Vilamoura, Portugal, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) under the lead of the EU took an impressive number of important decisions. Commissioner Vella said: "I welcome that at its 50th anniversary the second performance review recognises ICCAT's high performance. This means that our efforts to improve international fisheries governance are paying off. I am also very pleased that all Mediterranean countries have agreed to address the dire situation of Mediterranean swordfish by accepting to limit and reduce their catches gradually over 5 years in combination with a comprehensive package of other measures. Bringing back this emblematic species to sustainable levels will benefit many fishermen, including the small scale fleets. But I am also very happy that for the first time ICCAT has agreed to manage sharks through a measure for blue sharks. Unfortunately, though, ICCAT was not yet ready for a shark fins naturally attached policy. However, the high number of supporting countries bodes well for the future."

EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella is on mission to Vietnam and China this week and next. The Commissioner will use the visits to both countries push for more international cooperation on ocean governance, including in the fight against illegal fishing and marine litter.

An extraordinary Joint Committee, held at the initiative of the EU, took place in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 15-16 November in the framework of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Mauritania. The Parties reviewed the implementation of EU support for the Mauritanian fisheries sector, introduced new fishing opportunities for EU trawlers, and discussed the MACAPEL investment project.

The Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries has developed an innovative method for producing tilapia and tomatoes that saves resources and is almost emission free.

The EU fisheries ministers have agreed on the 2017 and 2018 fishing limits (or TACs) for 19 deep-sea stocks. For the first time in six years, a unanimous agreement was reached on deep sea TACs and quotas for the next two years. One of these will be fished in accordance with Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) for the very first time next year.

This year the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, hosted by the European Union from 14 to 21 November in Vilamoura, Portugal, has to tackle an ambitious agenda.

Fisheries Ministers are to convene in Brussels on 14 November for the AGRIFISH Council. The Council is expected to reach political agreement on a regulation fixing the fishing levels for certain deep-sea fish stocks in 2017 and 2018. Deep-sea stocks have been regulated since 2003, but scientific advice indicates that they are still harvested unsustainably and that their exploitation should be further reduced.

The global ocean economy is estimated at €1.3 trillion. Climate change, poverty and food security are some of the global challenges that can be effectively addressed, if oceans are better protected and sustainably managed. The Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy adopted today a Joint Communication, proposing actions for safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed oceans. As a strong global actor, the European Union sets out an agenda for better ocean governance based on a cross-sectoral, rules-based international approach.

In the framework of the EU's "Ocean Week" initiative (7-13 November 2016), European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella will outline Europe's current efforts to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the 22nd Convention of the Parties of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 22) to be held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 8 to 13 November 2016.

Speech by Commissioner Vella

The Ocean Energy Forum handed over to Commissioner Vella the results of 18 months of work on the future of ocean energy in Europe: its strategic roadmap "Building Ocean Energy for Europe".

Tomorrow the Ocean Energy Forum will release a report that charts a path to 10% of Europe's energy needs being met by tidal and wave energy.

European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella participated in the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Sea-Fisheries (SSDC-F). The Committee consists of representatives from the European Transport Workers Federation (employees) and Europêche and Cogeca (employers).

The Baltic Sea is a hotbed for maritime innovation and activities. It provides a huge potential for enhancing the blue economy and boosting the region’s competitiveness. Cooperation at sea-basin level has an essential role to play in building on this potential.

Today, after 5 years of negotiations, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed to establish a marine protected area (MPA) in the Ross Sea Region – the first major MPA in the history of the Antarctic.

In preparation for the December Fisheries Council, where Member States will negotiate fishing quotas in the Atlantic and North Sea for 2017, the Commission is presenting its proposal for healthy and sustainable stocks.

A high-level conference on cooperation on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture took place in Bucharest on 24-25 October.