In preparation for the setting of the 2017 fishing opportunities later this year, the Commission has published its Communication on the annual public consultation.
In preparation for the Council of Fisheries Ministers of the EU, where Member States' ministers will agree on fishing quotas for 2017, the Commission has adopted a Communication that sets out its principles for healthy and profitable fisheries in the EU.
How do EU Member States plan to use the money they are set to receive under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)? What is the current state of play? This was the topic of an exchange of views at the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee today.
Last week the Commission published its annual report on the capacity of the EU fleet. The report contains an overview of fleet reports and action plans prepared by the individual Member States on the basis of Commission's guidelines.
European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, and Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Kistion, opened today in Odessa a high-level stakeholder conference entitled “Conference on the blue economy of the Black Sea: Towards better integration”.
The 33rd meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) took place between 7 and 10 June in Bad Neuenahr Ahrweiler (Germany).
The New Skills Agenda adopted today aims to reduce the mismatch between the skills people are taught and the skills needed by the service sector and manufacturing industry. It is designed to improve the quality and relevance of skills to meet the need of a rapidly changing labour market and increase the understanding of skills and qualifications in the European labour market.
Commissioner Karmenu Vella is attending the 21st North Atlantic Fisheries Ministers Conference (NAFMC) in St Petersburg on 9th – 10th June. The theme of this year's conference is "Science and research to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems".
The 40th annual session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) drew to a successful close on 3 June. Decisions made in Malta are in line with the European Commission's strategy to improve the state of the Mediterranean fish stocks and the economic prospects of the fishing industry. Commissioner Karmenu Vella expressed his deep satisfaction with the outcome, which "ushers in a new era of action to help fish stocks recover and fishing communities thrive."
On June 5, the Port State Measures Agreement, a key international treaty aimed at combating illegal fishing will come into force. The Agreement, adopted and promoted by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, allows countries to keep illegal operators out of their ports and to prevent them from landing illegal catches.
Closing date: 15 July 2016
The so-called “CMO Regulation" on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products sets out the conditions for establishing and recognising professional organisations in the fishery and aquaculture sectors. It also sets their objectives, and the conditions to be met to extend the rules to non-members.
This webinar which will take place on June 2, will cover the major ways to fund projects in blue economy and show how project promoters can combine different funding sources (EFSI, EMFF, H2020 etc).
This webinar which will take place on June 2, will cover the major ways to fund projects in blue economy and show how project promoters can combine different funding sources (EFSI, EMFF, H2020 etc).
From 23rd to 27th May 2016, the 20th Annual Meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) was hosted by the European Union in La Réunion, France. Overall, the EU welcomes the outcome of the meeting, in particular the adoption of several EU proposals, such as a pilot project for a Regional Observer Scheme, the implementation of electronic Port State measures, an incentive scheme for better catch data reporting ('no-data no-fish' principle).
The Resumed Review Conference on the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA) finished last Friday after one week of intensive negotiations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 23rd to 27th May.
Fish stocks in the Mediterranean are deteriorating at an alarming rate, threatening the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of fishermen.
The European Commission’s long-standing commitment towards the conservation of Bluefin tuna comes to the fore again for the main fishing season of 2016.
Blue growth is here to stay, concluded the 1200 marine and maritime economy stakeholders who gathered in Turku, Finland, last week to celebrate the 9th edition of the European Maritime Days. “A sustainable marine economy is not a dream, it is a reality”, said Commissioner Karmenu Vella in the Opening Session of the conference. “Across Europe – he went on - people are working hard on innovation and pushing boundaries”. European Commission Vice-President Katainen listed a number of blue economy projects already selected for EFSI support, stressing the importance of new investments for all maritime innovations.
In a high-level joint event with the Dutch Presidency of the Council on 24 May, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella presented progress made and obstacles that need to be addressed in further developing a sustainable aquaculture sector in the EU.
