Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, has called for an improvement on the fisheries quota allocation procedure
The Acting Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, has emphasised the need for enhancements to modernise the decision-making process for the allocation of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and fishing quotas.
In this regard, he stated that the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) will promote the adoption of multiannual TACs and quotas for 2024 in those fisheries with available scientific data. This approach will enable the sector to better plan its activities and the employability of quotas.
Luis Planas addressed the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee in Brussels today, where he acknowledged “the immense work” carried out by the entire European community’s fishing and aquaculture sector, whose “challenges we must recognise.” He highlighted that their work is essential to ensure food security and to be “at the forefront in terms of environmental sustainability.”
According to the minister, the strategic importance of this sector requires the attention of EU institutions and concerted efforts to protect marine resources and improve the profitability of fishing activities. “Sustainability cannot exist without profitability,” he stressed. To achieve this, he pointed out that efforts should be made to promote generational turnover, accelerate digitalisation to enhance the sector’s competitiveness, and ensure a level playing field internationally, among other issues.
Priorities of the Spanish Presidency
During his speech, Planas emphasised that the establishment of multiannual fishing quotas is one of the top priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. As he explained, this change will provide greater stability in fisheries management, improved business planning, and increased predictability for fishing activities.
Furthermore, Planas highlighted that decarbonisation and modernisation of the fishing fleet, along with generational renewal, are essential to ensure the sector’s viability. He emphasised that “21st-century fishing needs 21st-century vessels.” In this regard, he called for a reflection to change the approaches that would allow financing vessel modernisation for the next financial framework, beginning in 2027. This matter was the focus of discussions at the Informal Meeting of Fisheries Ministers held in Vigo last July, where the need to provide investment lines and European funds to renew the fleet and promote research into alternative energies was raised.
Similarly, Planas indicated that the Spanish Presidency aims to recognise the strategic role of fisheries and aquaculture in food security, ensuring that citizens have access to sustainable and reasonably priced food. This issue will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of fisheries directors-general, scheduled to take place in Malaga on September 28 and 29, where the contribution of the Common Fisheries Policy to European food security will be addressed.
For the minister, the development of these three priorities of the Spanish Presidency will contribute to the advancement of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to regulate the sustainable development of fishing activities, guaranteeing the food supply and a fair standard of living for fishing and aquaculture professionals.
The minister noted that Spain is closely monitoring the scientific recommendations that support fishing opportunities in the Northwest Atlantic for 2024, based on maximum sustainable yield. He also assured that the management of Mediterranean fisheries poses a challenge that must be addressed to ensure the sector’s profitability and survival.
Likewise, he pointed out that consultations with the United Kingdom, Norway, and multilateral negotiations with coastal states will be promoted with the aim of determining the species and quotas available to the European Union in their respective waters.
In particular, he referred to the complexity of negotiations with Norway to establish fishing possibilities in 2024, an issue that was extensively discussed in the last EU Council of Ministers. Planas indicated that the vast majority of the Council and the Commission consider it necessary to introduce, if necessary, commercial aspects into these negotiations, “because it cannot be that we are granted fishing rights in international agreements and, at the same time, the results of these catches are sold to us.”
Furthermore, the minister added that the Spanish Presidency will work on the renewal of the EU’s bilateral fishing agreements with third countries and on regulations related to the work of regional fisheries organisations.
Source: Press Release
