Javier Garat has been re-elected to the European Economic and Social Committee, strengthening the fishing sector’s voice
Javier Garat, Secretary General of the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA) and President of Europêche, has been re-elected as a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for the new EU mandate (2025–2030), becoming one of the 21 Spanish members of the 329 members that make up this body.
As the only member representing the interests of fishing in this entity, the sector ensures its representation within it.
The re-election has coincided with his appointment as rapporteur for the EESC opinion, which is key to the fishing sector, on the proposed Regulation that establishes the conditions for the execution of Union aid for the Common Fisheries Policy, the European Ocean Pact, and the Maritime and Aquaculture Policy.
Garat will also be a member of the study group to analyse the Regulation that establishes the European Fund for Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion, Agriculture and Rural Areas, Fisheries and the Sea, Prosperity and Security for the period 2028-2034, which aims to replace the current financial instrument, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). All this strengthens Garat’s weight as a representative of the fishing sector in Brussels.
A Crucial Time for the Sector
Garat’s renewal recognises his active participation in this EU consultative body in the previous mandate (2020 – 2025).
During that period, Garat has been rapporteur or a member of study groups or commissions for more than thirty opinions, highlighting his role as rapporteur in those related to the European Ocean Pact, the decarbonisation of the fishing fleet, the EU action plan to protect and restore marine ecosystems for the sake of sustainable and resilient fishing or those referring to the transposition of the recommendations of various Regional Fisheries Management Organisations into European regulations, among others.
Likewise, as an EESC member, he has participated in numerous forums and conferences, always defending a vision of fishing activity that is balanced between environmental sustainability, economic viability and social justice for EU coastal communities.
Garat’s re-election coincides with a key moment for the Spanish and European fishing sectors, in which our country is a leader in the EU, given the challenges but also new opportunities it faces. It is worth remembering the European Commission’s proposal on the new Multiannual Financial Framework, the decarbonisation process that the fleet must face, and the review of the Common Fisheries Policy.
This is in addition to the need to increase the competitiveness of European fishing activity against other fleets and, in a highly worrying international environment, the growing spatial pressure due to the rise of marine renewable energies, the expansion of marine protected areas, the decrease in the consumption of fishery products, and the lack of a robust generational replacement that ensures the maintenance of the activity.
A Privilege to Contribute
In Garat’s opinion, “initiatives such as the European Ocean Pact and the 2040 Vision for fisheries offer a unique opportunity to reorient policies towards a more balanced governance that recognises the strategic role of fisheries in food security, the blue economy and the resilience of coastal communities.
Fishing,” Garat adds, “is a historically complex and challenging activity and much more so in the current international context. That is why,” he concludes, “from my position, it is a privilege to be able to contribute to overcoming any obstacle.”
