Luis Planas: fisheries and aquaculture products are essential to ensure food security in the European Union

Family photo from the Informal Meeting of Fisheries Ministers of the European Union held in Bruges (Belgium)

During the meeting, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the minister expressed the need for the EU to maintain a structured dialogue with farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen to discuss their problems and seek solutions to their demands. The minister believes that "it is a good idea to have a dialogue at European level, as we have had in Spain, to discuss and share ideas that respond to the challenges of the future".

The minister expressed Spain's firm support for the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which has helped to ensure that Community products are among the best in terms of quality, sustainability and safety. To this effect, he said it is important to promote active policies that encourage fish consumption as "food rich in quality proteins with significant benefits for the health of the population and low in carbon footprint".

For the minister, the CFP "has been a major step towards the sector's sustainability and profitability". In this context, he considers that the measures to be adopted in the EU must promote a modern, sustainable, competitive and profitable fishing sector, since "sustainable fishing activity is not possible if it is not profitable".

To achieve this, Spain supports the European Maritime Fund for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EMFF) being directed towards renewing the fishing fleet, because "fishing in the 21st century cannot be carried out with 20th century vessels, and this requires greater investment". The aim, he added, is to make the fleet more efficient, decarbonised, safe and comfortable, so that fishing, "a difficult and dangerous activity, is more attractive to young people".

Planas insisted on Spain's firm commitment to decarbonisation and improving the sustainability of the fishing fleet. He recalled that during the Informal Meeting of Fisheries Ministers held in Vigo in July 2023, under the Spanish presidency, there were fruitful discussions on the transition towards a fleet that was less dependent on fossil fuels and provided safer and better conditions for fishermen.

Non official translation