Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, has called for a reform of the European Union's common fisheries policy (CFP) to guarantee resource sustainability and improve fleet profitability. The call was made during a meeting in Vigo with the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costa Kadis.
The minister defended the need for the future European maritime, fisheries and aquaculture fund (EMFAF) to be flexible and sufficiently funded to support fleet modernisation and an "energy transition" toward vessels with zero local emissions, "without restrictions that compromise the sector's competitiveness."
Regarding the Mediterranean, Planas argued that demonstrated improvements in fish stocks should be rewarded with a review of fishing day limits for the Spanish fleet. He also noted that following a recent EU court ruling, standards for protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems must take into account the socio-economic impact on affected fleets, such as the deep-sea longline fleet.
The minister also called for progress in adopting multi-year total allowable catches (TACs) to facilitate better planning for the sector. During the meeting, Planas offered the use of Spain's fisheries cooperation training vessel, Intermares, for joint training campaigns with the European Commission.