Press releases/news articles

The Commission has today proposed a cut to the annual EU quota for turbot by 15%, to 74 tonnes, and to keep the EU quota for sprat unchanged at 11 475 tonnes. The proposal is based on the advice by the Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF). The proposal will now be discussed by EU ministers at the December Fisheries Council.

Ahead of the 8th annual European Maritime Day Conference, to be held in Piraeus, Greece, on 28 and 29 May next year, the European Commission is organising two information sessions for anyone wanting to get involved in the conference.

Sustainable maritime tourism can inject much needed impetus into the economy of Europe's coastal regions but is dependent on a healthy environment and proper management to do so. That will be the message delivered by the European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, at the opening of the Maritime Spatial Planning and Tourism conference in Venice tomorrow.

Following the restoration of constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, the EU and Guinea-Bissau have signed a new three-year fisheries Protocol under the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the two parties. EU boats, mostly from Spain, Portugal, France, Greece and Italy, will now be able to resume fishing in local waters following a two year interruption.

The Commission welcomes that the EU, the Faroe Islands and Norway reached agreement on 21 November on an arrangement on mackerel fisheries for 2015.

Following an eight year hiatus the EU and Senegal have today signed a new five-year Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement. The agreement will allow up to 38 EU boats to fish in Senegalese waters in return for a €8.69m payment by the EU.

The European Commission has welcomed the great strides made by Latvia in addressing the shortcomings of its national fisheries control system.

A NAFO Intern Program allows students, post graduates or early career individuals from NAFO member countries an opportunity to improve their skills, enhance their experience and learn about NAFO and its activities.

The European Union has welcomed the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic's Tuna (ICCAT) decision to increase the quota for Eastern and Mediterranean Bluefin tuna by just under 20% a year over the next three years.

The 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was held in Quito, Ecuador, from 4 to 9 November 2014.

The 4th event of the Maritime Spatial Planning conference series will be dedicated to coastal and maritime tourism. It will take place on 27 November 2014 in Venice, Italy.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) did not manage to reach a viable agreement on the establishment of marine protected areas in Antarctica at its 33rd Annual Meeting held in Hobart, Australia, from 20 to 31 October 2014.

Event organised on the 30 October by the Italian Presidency and the European Commission (with the support of the Port Authority of Augusta and the Italian Navy).

The European Commission has today proposed fishing opportunities for 2015 for the Atlantic and the North Sea.

The European Commission has welcomed the endorsement today by EU leaders of the new EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR).

The European Commission will be unveiling sustainable seafood guides at Slow Food's Salone del Gusto – Terra Madre in Turin on 23rd October 2014, as part of "Inseparable", a European initiative to help consumers make sustainable seafood choices.

The European Commission is inviting stakeholders to share their practical knowledge and ideas for projects to implement the Atlantic Action Plan at the Stakeholder Platform conference to be held on 20 January 2015 in Porto, Portugal. The deadline for submission is 7 November 2014.

The European Commission has today issued a report on the measures taken by EU countries to ensure the recovery of European eel.

The European Commission has today adopted a series of discard plans as it gears up for the introduction of an obligation to land all catches on 1 January 2015.