EU Fisheries Committee MEPs to visit Greenland in September, reviewing €17 million partnership agreement and meeting fishing communities
Seven Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries will travel to Greenland from 16 to 18 September to examine how the EU-Greenland Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) is being implemented.
The agreement, worth more than €17 million, is the EU’s second largest and provides an important source of income and jobs for Greenland.
The delegation will open its visit in Nuuk with meetings involving Greenland’s Minister of Fisheries and representatives from the national fisheries control agency. The group will then visit the Inatsisartut, Greenland’s Parliament, for talks with the Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture Committee. A session is also planned with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources.
To gain insight into the working conditions of the fishing sector, MEPs will board the Royal Greenland trawler in Nuuk before visiting the Halibut Greenland fishermen’s cooperative. The itinerary also includes an Icefjord boat tour in Ilulissat to observe Arctic fishing activities.
The final day of the mission will focus on discussions with fishermen’s organisations, including the Greenland’s Fishermen and Hunters Association, the national body representing shellfish and other fish producers, and Polar Seafood, one of the country’s largest fishing companies.
Sander Smit, vice-chair of the Committee on Fisheries and chair of the delegation, said: “I am looking forward to our mission to Greenland, an important partner for the EU. It is vital to understand the daily realities of fishers and local communities. I welcome the opportunity to engage with the Greenlandic Minister of Fisheries, the Mayor of Ilulissat, stakeholders, and the Inatsisartut Committee on how we can strengthen our cooperation under the EU-Greenland Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement, supporting sustainable fisheries management amid today’s complex geopolitical, economic and food security challenges.”
The delegation will be led by Sander Smit (EPP, Netherlands) and includes Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spain), Magdalena Adamowicz (EPP, Poland), Nicolás González Casares (S&D, Spain), André Rodrigues (S&D, Portugal), Nora Junco García (ECR, Spain) and Karin Karlsbro (Renew, Sweden).
