Minister Joan Simonet, along with Director General Antoni M. Grau and Federation President Domingo Bonnín, met with MEP Rosa Estaràs to express the urgent need to amend the regulation to ensure the sector’s viability.

The Balearic Government and the Federació Balear de Confraries de Pescadors (FBCP) are making a united appeal to modify the European Union’s fisheries regulation for the western Mediterranean. The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, accompanied by Director General Antoni M. Grau and the FBCP President, Domingo Bonnín, held a meeting with Member of the European Parliament Rosa Estaràs to communicate the urgent need to reform the regulation in order to safeguard the future of the fishing sector.

TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Balearic Government and Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds Join Forces to Push for Changes to EU Western Mediterranean Fisheries Regulation

During the meeting, Minister Simonet emphasised that “the Balearic Government has repeatedly insisted on the need to change European regulations to ensure the survival of the sector. This request is supported not only by other Mediterranean regions but also by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and it has already been conveyed to the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis.”

Simonet also explained that “the annual variation in the allocation of fishing days makes it very difficult for fishermen to plan investments, as they don’t know how many days they will be allowed to fish the following year. Under these conditions, it is also extremely difficult to encourage young people to join the sector.”

For his part, Director General Antoni M. Grau pointed out that the current EU regulation does not recognise the mixed nature of Mediterranean fisheries and fails to include mechanisms to guarantee legal certainty and economic stability for fishermen in the Balearic Islands.

The meeting also served to propose several changes to the plan, such as introducing interannual flexibility that would allow 10% of fishing opportunities to be transferred between two consecutive years, as well as multiannual planning of regulatory measures, which would provide much-needed stability for operators and business organisations.