Close Menu
    Latest Category
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • EU Law
    • Energy
    • fx
    • About
    • Contact
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Login
    • EU News
    • Focus
    • Guides
    • Press
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Directory
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Home

    EU targets bottom trawling in new sustainable ocean plan

    npsBy nps22 February 2023 No Comments5 Mins Read
    — Filed under: Energy EU News Fisheries Headline
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    Ocean - Photo by Ricardo Esquivel on Pexels

    Ocean – Photo by Ricardo Esquivel on Pexels

    (BRUSSELS) – The European Commission presented a package of measures Tuesday to improve the sustainability and resilience of the EU’s fisheries sector including reducing dependency on fossil fuels.

    The package includes four elements: A Communication on the Energy Transition of the EU Fisheries and Aquaculture sector; an Action Plan to protect and restore marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries; a Communication on the common fisheries policy today and tomorrow and a Report on the Common Market Organisation for fishery and aquaculture products.

    The proposed actions will be carried out gradually to help the sector adapt. A ‘Pact for Fisheries and Oceans’ will also support the full implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in coordination with Member States and fisheries stakeholders, including fishers, producer organisations, regional advisory councils, civil society and scientists. The proposals also have at its heart making the sector an attractive job place for the younger generations.

    According to the EU executive, the sector’s current dependency on fossil fuels is not only environmentally unsustainable, but also makes it vulnerable to energy price increases. When fuel prices increased in 2021 and 2022, many vessels stayed in port and the sector required financial support as a large part of the EU fishing fleet was unable to cover operational costs. Aquaculture was similarly exposed to higher prices of both fuel and feed. The sector benefited from EU financial support.

    The Commission is proposing to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and aim towards climate neutral fisheries and aquaculture sector, in line with one of the ambitions of the European Green Deal to reach climate neutrality in the EU by 2050. It is proposing measures to support the sector in accelerating its energy transition, by improving fuel efficiency and switching to renewable, low-carbon power sources.

    With climate change, biodiversity loss and ocean pollution threatening the sustainability of fisheries resources, the Commission is presenting a marine action plan to reinforce the CFP’s contribution to the EU’s environmental objectives and reduce the adverse impact of fishing activities on marine ecosystems, particularly through seabed disturbance, by-catch of sensitive species and effects on marine food webs.

    The Commission calls on Member States to take conservation measures to protect and manage marine protected areas (MPAs) effectively, with a clear timeline. These efforts it says should include the protection of fish spawning and nursery areas, the reduction of fish mortality rates and the restoration of core areas for sensitive species and habitats.

    Urgent action is also needed to reduce the impact of fishing on the seabed, says the Commission, pointing to their significance as hotspots of EU marine biodiversity and the importance of blue carbon in marine habitats for tackling climate change. The Commission calls on Member States to propose joint recommendations and take national measures to phase out mobile bottom fishing in all MPAs by 2030 at the latest and not to allow it in any newly established MPAs. First measures should be taken already by March 2024 for Natura 2000 sites under the Habitats Directive that protect the seabed and marine species.

    The action plan also proposes actions to increase the selectivity of fishing gear and practices and to reduce the incidental catches of threatened species, setting a timetable to help Member States prioritise those species that require most protection.

    While the Commission says the common fisheries policy is an ‘adequate legal framework’ to address the challenges that EU fisheries, several challenges remain for the CFP to be fully implemented, and faster and more structural transformation is needed to reduce environmental and climate impacts of fishing and aquaculture.

    The Commission proposes a ‘Pact for Fisheries and Oceans’, bringing together all stakeholders, to open a new phase of dialogue and cooperation between Commission and fisheries stakeholders, to ” build common understanding of the objectives to be achieved and help adapt the policy where necessary”.

    Factsheet – Sustainable and resilient fisheries, aquaculture and marine ecosystems 

    Common Fisheries Policy

    Common Fisheries Policy today and tomorrow - guide

    The common fisheries policy today and tomorrow: a Fisheries and Oceans Pact towards sustainable, science-based, innovative and inclusive fisheries management

    Staff working document on the common fisheries policy

    Common fisheries policy (CFP)

    Protection of marine ecosystems for sustainable fisheries

    Action Plan to protect and restore marineecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries - guide

    EU Action Plan: Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries

    EU Coastal and Marine Policy

    Nature and biodiversity actions – EU

    Webpage on Marine action plan

    Energy transition in the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector

    Energy transition in the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector - guide

    Communication from the Commission: On the Energy Transition of the EU Fisheries and Aquaculture sector

    Possibilities and examples for energy transition of fishing and aquaculture sectors

    Common Market Organisation

    Questions & Answers on the Report on the results of Common Market Organisation for fishery and aquaculture products

    Report on the results of Common Market Organisation for fishery and aquaculture products

    Common Market Organisation

    Add A Comment

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    nps
    • Website

    Related Content

    EU approves EUR 300m for common defence procurement projects

    EU proposes e-declaration for the posting of workers

    EU calls on Apple to end geo-blocking on media services

    EUR/USD touches one year low as Trump takes control of Congress – Euro currency news daily

    EU artificial intelligence factories set for 2025

    Council agrees reform of EU VAT rules for the digital age

    LATEST EU NEWS

    EU approves EUR 300m for common defence procurement projects

    14 November 2024

    EU proposes e-declaration for the posting of workers

    14 November 2024

    EU calls on Apple to end geo-blocking on media services

    14 November 2024

    EUR/USD touches one year low as Trump takes control of Congress – Euro currency news daily

    14 November 2024

    EU artificial intelligence factories set for 2025

    13 November 2024
    BRIEFING

    Agenda

    This week, COP29 begins in Azerbaijan; finance ministers discuss the EU's annual budget for 2025; and MEPs hold a plenary session on EU-US relations, EU summits, deforestation and COP 29...

    EUbusiness Week

    This week competitiveness and environment ministers will hold informal meetings…

    Eurozone Economic Calendar

    Key economic calendar events for the week 11 to 16 November 2024

    The Week's Top Stories

    This week competitiveness and environment ministers will hold informal meetings…

    Advertisement

    Subscribe to EUbusiness Week

    Get the latest EU news

    Latest Posts

    EU approves EUR 300m for common defence procurement projects

    14 November 2024

    EU proposes e-declaration for the posting of workers

    14 November 2024

    EU calls on Apple to end geo-blocking on media services

    14 November 2024

    EUR/USD touches one year low as Trump takes control of Congress – Euro currency news daily

    14 November 2024

    CONTACT INFO

    • EUbusiness Ltd 117 High Street, Chesham Buckinghamshire, HP5 1DE United Kingdom
    • +44(0)20 8058 8232
    • service@eubusiness.com

    INFORMATION

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Info

    Services

    • Privacy Policy
    • Tems
    • EU News

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Facebook
    eubusiness.com © EUbusiness Ltd 2025
    Design and developed by : Dotsquares

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login below or Register Now.

    Lost password?

    Register Now!

    Already registered? Login.

    A password will be e-mailed to you.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok