ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OF FISHING ENTERPRISES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Press Releases

EU-Thailand Free Trade Agreement: European tuna industry sounds the alarm

Starting today, the European Commission will kick off a week of negotiations on the draft free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union and Thailand. These discussions, interrupted for several years and relaunched a couple of years ago, are causing concern in the European tuna industry. Europêche, the leading representative body for the fishing industry in Europe, calls for the exclusion of tuna products from this agreement.

United call for a reinforced specific fund for fisheries and aquaculture in the next Multiannual Financial Framework

As the European Council and the Parliament prepare to discuss the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), leading EU associations urge EU policymakers to maintain and strengthen the current fund for fisheries and aquaculture, emphasizing its critical role in food security, economic stability and environmental sustainability.

Europêche welcomes the omnibus simplification package as a first step towards reducing regulatory burdens

Europêche, the leading representative body for the fishing industry in Europe, welcomes the European Commission’s upcoming Omnibus Simplification Package presented today by President Von der Leyen. This marks a significant first step towards addressing longstanding concerns about regulatory complexity and administrative burdens. The fishing sector urges the Commission to go further and conduct a comprehensive review of fisheries and environmental policies to improve competitiveness while maintaining sustainability goals.

News

iFish, We Fish

The commercial fisheries of the EU stretch for thousands of square miles, from the inhospitable seas of the Arctic North, to the warmer and more favourable climes of the Southern Mediterranean. These communal waters harbour a plethora of commercial species of fish and shellfish, the landings of which form an integral part of the economies of 23 member countries, accounting for a colossal 4.9 million tonne catch, from a fleet of 87,500 vessels, a statistic that indicates a world ranking of 5th largest in terms of total output.

European Projects

Home by the Sea -Can fisheries and wind farms co-exist?

Sustainable fishing activities require space as does the development and operation of offshore wind farms. In order to safeguard the future of our seas and oceans, the EU adopted back in 2014 a Directive for maritime and coastal spatial planning urging Member States to ensure that human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable way and reduce users’ conflicts. At the same time, to tackle climate change, EU governments are determined to answer to the EU’s Paris Agreement nationally determined contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990. For this purpose, some countries are pushing to increase offshore wind power 40-fold by 2030 in Europe.

Needless to say, the European wind industry has an ambitious plan, hereby claiming a vast amount of space. Therefore, the question 'Can fisheries and wind farms co-exist?’ is a relevant but complex question which will become more pressing in the near future.

Home by the Sea by Hiske Ridder. www.conpuls.nl

On behalf of and many thanks to: Job Schot, Dirk Kraak and Cor Vonk,  www.vissersvoorvrijezee.nl. Julien Theore, Silvain Gallaisl and Olivier Becquet, https://pecheursartisans.com. Bertrand Wendling, https://sathoan.fr. Pim Visser, VisNed.nl. Rosalie Tukker, http://europeche.chil.me.