Spain does not give up its efforts and will fight in the remainder of its semester at the head of the European Council so that the European Union establishes a system of multi-annual fishing quotas for certain species starting in 2024, always relying on scientific reports. relevant. The objective of this change, which is promoted by understanding that the biological situation of the fishing grounds has improved, is that fishing entrepreneurs and shipowners can plan their activity in advance.
It has been one of the three priorities that the acting Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has influenced. During his appearance this Wednesday in the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament to explain the priorities of his portfolio during the Spanish Presidency, Planas also pointed out the necessary changes in the European Maritime Fund for Fisheries and Aquaculture (FEMPA) to Develop the necessary modernization process and shift towards a more sustainable model for the fishing fleet in the coming years from an energy point of view.
“The contribution to food security and decarbonization are two of the three major themes of the Spanish presidency,” he noted, to also make it clear that Europe has commitments within the framework of the Green Deal and the Paris Agreement that ” It is important to comply.” The acting minister has also recognized that the Mediterranean will once again be a challenge. “We have to achieve maximum sustainable performance, but we have to be smart enough to ensure both profitability and survival of the sector,” he concluded.
The fishing conflict with the United Kingdom and Norway
Making it clear that this is not a criticism of the work of the institution as such, Luis Planas has agreed with the MEPs who questioned him during his speech that the European Commission should have a specific Department for fisheries issues. “It deserves consideration for the future (…) it is not a criticism,” he stated.
On the other hand, throughout his presentation he trusted that on December 10 there could be “a satisfactory agreement” between the European Union and the United Kingdom and between the community club and Norway to distribute the catches in shared waters. that are currently the subject of disagreements. This same week, Planas already described it as “unacceptable” that Norway is setting fishing quotas unilaterally, and that it intends to increase catches and then sell them to the EU. “We must play the principle of reciprocity from a commercial point of view and make our interests play,” he was blunt.
