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.
The European Commission adopted on May 18 a report on the feasibility of an EU ecolabel scheme for fishery and aquaculture products. The report analyses three options for action by the EU: reinforcing the use of existing tools; mimimum requirements set by the EU; or establishing an EU-wide ecolabel scheme. It discusses each option's feasibility, advantages and disadvantages.
The 2016 edition explores ways to unlock the full potential of Blue Growth
EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and FisheriesKarmenu Vella is travelling to Toyama to participate in the meeting of G7 Environment Ministers on 15-16 May. G7 representatives from France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the US, Japan and Canada are also attending.
World fish stocks are being depleted by overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. This threatens not only the fish, but also the coastal communities that rely on fisheries for economic survival and a dependable food source. The European Commission has worked in close cooperation with EU countries and non-EU countries to develop the FLUX standards in order to exchange fisheries information in an effective, transparent and efficient manner.
On 10 May, during its plenary session, the European Parliament voted to give its final consent to the new Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Mauritania.
Today, the European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive which aims at improving the working conditions for workers in the fishing sector.
Romania has officially kick-started funding under the EU's European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for the period up to 2020. The launch of the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Operational Programme 2014-2020 (POPAM) took place on 21 April in the city of Tulcea in the Danube delta.
Commissioner Karmenu Vella was invited to deliver a speech at the “Mediterranean Leadership Summit” organized by the Economist in Malta on 28 and 29 April 2016. The conference comes at a time when the countries of the Mediterranean Sea are called upon to share their vision for stability, growth and competitiveness in the region.
The 21st Session of the Fishery Committee for the Central Eastern Atlantic (CECAF) was held in Dakar, Senegal from 20 to 22 April 2016 with the participation of 23 Member countries, including the European Union, as well as observers from different regional and sub-regional fisheries organisations, cooperation agencies and NGOs. The Committee had last met in March 2012.
Many Mediterranean fish stocks are in a worrying state, with alarming consequences for income and jobs in the Mediterranean fishing sector. To highlight the need for action, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Karmenu Vella, yesterday launched the campaign #MedFish4Ever. More than 80 representatives from EU institutions, European regions, business, and NGOs gathered at the European Commission stand at the Seafood Global Expo in Brussels for the launch event.
Concerned with the steep decline of fish stocks in the Mediterranean, on 27 April Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella hosted a high level Ministerial meeting with fisheries ministers from countries bordering the Mediterranean. Nineteen out of twenty-two riparian countries were represented, as well as GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean), FAO and MEDAC (Mediterranean Advisory Council).
The EU and Canada today signed a Joint Declaration on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, sending a strong message of zero tolerance towards such criminal activities. The declaration was signed by Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, and the Canadian Minister of Fisheries Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Hunter Tootoo.
EMD 2016 will be held in Turku, Finland, on 18 and 19 May 2016. It is organised in cooperation with the City of Turku and the Finnish government in an old locomotive hall called Logomo. We are looking forward to welcome the more than 1000 participants registered to an exciting and interactive event focusing on the theme of "Investing in competitive blue growth - smart and sustainable solutions".
The High Representative and the European Commission set out an integrated response to the challenges of the Arctic.
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission have today adopted a policy proposal that will guide the actions of the European Union in the Arctic region.
To reverse the dramatic decline of Mediterranean fisheries, Commissioner Vella commits to improve the state of the stocks and thus the economic prospects of the industry. At a global event in Brussels, he unveils a new strategy for the Mediterranean and launches a dialogue with Ministers from EU and non-EU countries.
The European Union participated in the first round of international negotiations on measures to prevent unregulated fisheries in the Arctic high seas took place between 19 and 21 April in Washington DC.
EU warns Kiribati, Sierra Leone and Trinidad & Tobago with yellow cards as they risk being uncooperative in the fight against illegal fishing. Sri Lanka reforms its fisheries system and is delisted.
