Sinkevicius conditions the review of the dragging veto on scientific opinion and Planas disagrees: “Brussels overreaches”

2023-07-18 17:33:04

The Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, has ensured that the review of the veto on bottom fishing can be carried out once the opinion of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries is published at the end of this month ( STECF). This was stated at the press conference after the informal summit of the European Union Fisheries Ministers, held in Vigo within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The commissioner has once again explained that in order to establish the veto for these types of fishing gear, socioeconomic and not only environmental aspects have been taken into account, despite the fact that the sector has always criticized the absence of these social and economic reports.

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He has insisted that the only thing that was established this year was the entry into force of a regulation approved in 2018which established 87 zones that had to be closed for bottom fishing of more than 400 meters.

For Sinkevicius, a “new chapter” is now being presented, which will involve the review of these areas, for which reports have been requested, which will arrive at the end of this month of July. From them, a decision will be analyzed and communicated. He has also said that the Commission is currently consulting with the concerned parties while waiting for the opinion, to then take the measures that it deems appropriate.

Legislation must be applied “in its entirety”

Despite this, and asked about the possibility of eliminating gear such as longline from this veto, Sinkevicius has been clear and has indicated that the legislation must be applied in “its entirety”, which iAlso includes longliners as bottom fishing.

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, wanted to comment on the commissioner’s words, stressing that Spain filed an appeal against the application of this veto, assuring that Brussels has “exceeded” its powers, ” from the point of view of form and substance”.

For him, the bottom longline should not be included to this extent and now a new path is opened to review it, when the scientific opinion is published at the end of this month.

In another order of things, Sinkevicius has been asked about the importation of fish from countries that have been harassed by Brussels with “yellow card” for illegal fishing.

In this regard, he said that Brussels has “important tariff quotas” that, in some cases, end at the end of the year and that will be reviewed, particularly in those states that prevent the community fleet from fishing in their waters.

As regards illegal fishing, the Commission es “inflexible“, as he has said, so if it is detected, that country is marked with a yellow card and, if these practices are not corrected, it becomes red. For him, it is an “effective” measure.

Likewise, he has said that the nature restoration law that Brussels intends to promote will not affect bottom fishing and its objective “it is not putting a stop” to economic activity, but to combine the economy with nature.