site.btaEU Fisheries Council Discusses Future of Sector

Outgoing Deputy Agriculture Minister Deyan Stratev participated in an informal meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Bruges, Belgium. During the meeting, a discussion was held on the future of fisheries and aquaculture in the on the basis of a document previously circulated by the EU Belgian Presidency, the Agriculture Ministry said. 

Stratev said, "In order for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors to cope with the external pressures and internal challenges they currently face, we believe that reducing the fisheries sector's heavy energy dependence on fuels with a high carbon footprint and shifting to the use of renewable fuels and energy sources should be a priority."

He added that future decisions for the sector should not reinforce the differences between the different segments of the EU fishing fleet, both structurally and regionally. "The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund should be the cornerstone of the Common Fisheries Policy's financial instrument to address the challenges of implementing the sector's energy transition," he said.

Bulgaria's position on how the collection, processing and analysis of new fisheries and aquaculture data can be increased is for key legislative changes on fisheries control that will contribute to strengthening the three pillars of sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture. This will improve the efficiency of management and lead to a fair distribution of resources among fishing communities, reducing the impact on the environment.

Stratev explained that the dynamics of events and crises over the past few years have disturbed the balance in the sector and continue to undermine its competitiveness. "As a short-term measure to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, it is important to re-enable operators in the fisheries sector for compensation under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund," he argued.