Spain, France and Italy reject the drastic reduction of the fishing quota in the Mediterranean that the European Commission has proposed and which, according to the Spanish minister Luis Planas, would make “fishing activity unviable.” The three countries see no problems in adding another member state to the ‘no’ to form a blocking minority in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in which the new quotas for next year are negotiated. However, Planas has expressed confidence that an agreement can be reached.
Planas has assured that the reduction in trawling by 79% (which represents 27 days a year), which adds to the 40% that has been carried out in the last five years, is “unacceptable.” “The necessary balance between profitability and sustainability is clearly in danger,” he assured upon his arrival in Brussels, where a tough negotiation is expected. “Spain is not going to accept any result of the negotiation that is unfavorable to our interests,” Planas stated.
The minister has made clear his anger with the European Commission by considering that its proposal is “radical and unfocused.” “From an economic point of view it is also nonsense,” said Planas, who warned that “the end of bottom trawling could have a very high impact from the point of view of employment.”
He has also criticized Ursula von der Leyen for deviating from her intention to reach “shared agreements with the sector”, which in this case is carrying out protests both in the community capital and in Spain. “I am concerned not only about fishing and our fishermen but about the EU. It encourages those who believe that the EU is the problem and not the solution,” he warned.
“We cannot pretend that the only problem in the Mediterranean is fishing,” added Planas, who was convinced that there are “possible solutions.” Spain, Italy and France are working on a “technical alternative” with the presidency of the Council, which falls to Hungary this semester.
Planas has assured, however, that the negotiation for the Mediterranean will not affect the figures for the Cantabrian Sea. Thus, he has assured that the negotiations for the Atlantic stocks as well as with the United Kingdom and Norway are going “in the right direction.” In fact, he celebrated that the Spanish fishing fleet will be able to fish for cod in Newfoundland for the first time in more than 30 years.
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