EU Fisheries Ministers have agreed on fishing opportunities for 2016 in the Baltic Sea, following discussion at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 22 October.
The objective of the Sector Skills Alliances – launched by EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) under Erasmus+ programme - is to create European partnerships between industry, VET (Vocational Education and Training) institutes and regulatory bodies to define skill needs in a specific sector and to design and implement new curricula. This may be opportunity for better Blue Careers across EU. Participate in the Infoday on 23 November 2015 in Brussels to learn more (registration is now open).
European Maritime Day (EMD) is the annual get together for Europe’s maritime policy community. The 9th annual European Maritime Day Conference will be held in Turku, Finland, on 18 and 19 May 2016.
The 5th event of the Maritime Spatial Planning conference series will be dedicated to the relationship between MSP and the Marine Environment.
Erasmus+ call for proposals 2016 has just been launched. Maritime stakeholders can seek funding for vocational education and training (Blue Careers).
Today the Commission adopted a plan to reduce the wasteful practice of discarding – throwing overboard unwanted fish – in the North Sea.
Wang Hong, Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration of the People’s Republic of China, and Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries met and held the High Level Dialogue on an integrated approach to Ocean Affairs in Beijing on 13th October 2015.
Qu Dongyu, Vice-Minister of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China, and Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries met in Beijing on 14th October 2015 and exchanged views in reinforcing their concrete cooperation on fisheries.
Today the High Level Group on Simplification, launched by the Commission in July, held its first meeting in Brussels.
A draft strategy for developing the ocean energy sector in Europe will be presented to business leaders and energy ministers at a high-level meeting in Dublin today. The "strategic roadmap" was prepared by the Ocean Energy Forum, created by the EU in 2014 to help get promising ocean energy technologies off the ground.
The members of the South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) held an extraordinary meeting in Brussels (12 - 16 October 2015) in which they agreed on a number of important administrative and financial issues, including the Rules of Procedures, the Terms of Reference for subsidiary bodies, as well as the roadmap and the procedures for the recruitment of the Executive Secretary.
The European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency are organising an Infoday in Brussels to explain the funding opportunities available under "Knowledge Alliances" and "Sector Skills Alliances".
On 14-16 October 2015, the Joint Committee under the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement Protocol met in Brussels, issuing a number of recommendations and taking note of the conclusions of its first meeting which update the status of the fish stocks with the latest scientific information.
The Commission's international public consultation on how the EU could contribute to achieving better international governance of oceans and seas to the benefit of sustainable blue growth is now closed. The EU is a global frontrunner in the development of sustainable ocean-based economies through its robust set of environmental rules, reformed Common Fisheries Policy and its global fight against illegal fishing.
The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) has adopted several measures to help it manage North-East Atlantic waters more effectively, following the results of an independent performance review carried out at its request. The decisions were taken at an extraordinary NEAFC meeting in London from 5 to 7 October 2015.
EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella is making his first official visit to China this week. The visit is an opportunity to facilitate further the EU's cooperation with China and allow for the development of cooperation in environmental, maritime and fisheries policy.
Today the Commission adopted two plans to reduce the wasteful practice of discarding – throwing overboard unwanted fish – in the north western and south western waters of the Atlantic. These discard plans concern demersal fisheries, i.e. fish that feed on or near the sea bottom, and are temporary measures to phase out discarding and gradually put in place the landing obligation, a key component of the EU's reformed Common Fisheries Policy.
Commissioner Karmenu Vella has travelled to Europe's biggest fishing port in Vigo, Spain, this week to mark two important anniversaries on the fisheries calendar: the tenth anniversary of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the 20th anniversary of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Mr Vella used his visit to recognise both organisations' achievements in promoting and enforcing sustainable fisheries.
The European Commission is promoting a structured dialogue on cruise tourism to enhance synergies in the sector, as announced in its Communication "A European Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism". The dialogue targets best practice sharing in innovation, competitiveness and sustainability strategies.
Baltic Sea stakeholders and authorities met today to discuss how to foster blue growth and develop an innovative and sustainable maritime economy in the region. The ultimate aim: developing a master plan for blue growth in the Baltic.
