Press releases/news articles

A public seminar on the state of fish stocks and the economic performance of fishing fleets will take place in Brussels on 14 July 2015. The seminar will review the latest information on the state of fish stocks and of the economic developments of the fleets in the North east Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and in the Mediterranean.

Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, is at the UN High-Level Political Forum in New York this week to share the Commission's vision of sustainable development, including sustainable blue growth, with the EU's international partners.

A strong economy in Europe needs a strong and sustainable maritime sector – and by forging connections between science, education and business, maritime clusters can help make this happen. This was the key message that Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, shared at a meeting of the European Network of Maritime Clusters (ENMC) on Thursday, 2nd July. The ENMC represents most of Europe's maritime industries via 17 national clusters.

ICCAT has published a number of vacancies linked to ICCAT Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Programme (AOTTP)

The EU has taken another step to protect sea bass stocks in Europe. The 28 EU member states agreed to the Commission's proposal to increase the minimum size for northern sea bass from 36 to 42 cm.

Deadline for application: 10 August 2015. More information is available on NAFO website

The European Commission has last week awarded a grant of almost €4 million to the European research infrastructure for observing the oceans. The funds will be used to add 150 Argo floats to the project's portfolio in the next two years.

The Bluefin Tuna purse seine fishing season, lasting from 26 May to 24 June 2015, has finished with no major issues that may indicate systemic overfishing or illegal fishing activities of Bluefin Tuna by EU vessels. It was the first time in almost a decade that the EU fishermen benefited from an increased quota as BFT fishery has recovered significantly. Although scientists still need to assess the state of the stocks later this year, it is clear that the successful implementation of stricter control measures by the EU to fight IUU and overfishing has played a significant role in the recovery of the stock.

The Commission has launched a public consultation on what the EU can do to improve international governance of oceans and seas to the benefit of sustainable blue growth. Speaking at the World Ocean Summit in Portugal earlier this month, Commissioner Karmenu Vella said: "If our oceans are not healthy, our economy falls ill. Global maritime challenges require global solutions. I am committed to work intensively to define Europe's role in international ocean governance, for a sustainable blue economy and blue growth".

The EEA report on the State of Europe's Seas reaffirms our message that we still need to do more for our seas. The EU is committed to blue growth that is both environmentally and economically sustainable.

European Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, today met several environmental NGOs to discuss ocean governance, a priority for his mandate. In particular, he was interested in their views on how we can protect our oceans while stimulating blue growth. He also thanked the NGOs for their work in drawing public attention to the well-being of our oceans.

Meeting with members of the German Bundestag's tourism committee today, Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, exchanged views on the EU's strategy for more growth and jobs in coastal and maritime tourism.

The Council of Ministers has taken a decision to set monthly catch limits for commercial vessels catching sea bass.

The European Commission has requested Greece to comply with the obligation, under the Mediterranean Regulation, to adopt national management plans for fisheries conducted by boat seines within their territorial waters.

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a regulation, upgrading the EU framework for the collection, management and use of data for fisheries.

The European Commission has launched a study to assess how best to promote and support networks between education and training organisations in the Mediterranean sea basin.

The European Commission's public consultation on international ocean governance, launched earlier this month, is now available in all languages.

The event on "Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Coastal and Island Tourism" was held on 16 June 2015, in Brussels.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council will take place in Luxembourg on 16 June 2015.

Commissioner Vella is pleased to extend an open invitation to a public seminar on the state of fish stocks and the economic performance of fishing fleets on 14 July 2015 in Brussels. The seminar will review the latest information on the state of fish stocks and of the economic developments of the fleets in the Northeast Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and in the Mediterranean. Commissioner Vella is expected to attend the opening session.