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Job environment
The jobholder will be employed by Europêche. The duties will be performed in a multinational
environment. The job will include missions abroad. The main working language is English.
Qualifications and experience required.

Job description
Overall purpose
The jobholder shall contribute to represent and defend the interests of the fishing industry in
Europe.

Functions and duties
The Senior Policy Officer shall be based in Brussels and perform the following duties:

Monitor and gather intelligence on international/regional/EU/national regulatory and policy
developments of relevance to the European fishing industry;

• Provide strategic advice on NE Atlantic matters and relations with neighbouring countries in
  order to deliver accurate information in a timely fashion, recommend policy directions and
  attain the goals set;
• Provide support for the development of the group’s positions, press releases and the
  implementation of lobbying activities;
• Maintain contact with RFMO fisheries bodies, EU and national fisheries officials and relevant
  stakeholders on various matters relevant to the EU fishing sector;
• Head of European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA) Secretariat;
• Draft papers on a wide range of issues related to fisheries, environment and maritime
  affaires;
• Act as the public speaker and public relations representative where needed;
• Liaise with European North Atlantic Fisheries Association (ENAFA);
• Social media

Requirements for the applicants

At least three (3) years of professional experience in the area of selection and recruitment;

• University studies with a focus on maritime & fisheries science, legal, public or European
  affairs;
• Very good spoken and written English. Knowledge of other EU official languages are a strong
  asset;
• Knowledge of European politics and the European decision-making processes;
• Knowledge of marine and fisheries policies; professional experience in international and
  regional fisheries management policies are a strong asset;
• Ability to work independently and take responsibility for specific areas of work;
• Ability to handle simultaneous tasks and to deliver to high standards within specific and tight
  deadlines;
• Distinct communicative and social skills;
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office package (including Excel) and Internet;

Our offer

• The successful candidate will take office as soon as possible for a minimum period of 1 year,
  renewable;
• A rewarding professional experience, combining sector-specific insights and European affairs,
  with an international team and our international business associations;
• Remuneration according to professional background and experience.

How to apply?
Via Email addressed to:
Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche
E-Mail: europeche@europeche.org

Application must contain

• A cover letter written in English specifying why the applicant would like to join Europêche
  and work with our fishing associations;
• A CV in English.

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Grant Agreement Project 101051878
External contractor: Development of a training programme for the medical examination of fishers

Background
Sea fishing is a remote and challenging professional activity. The International Maritime Organization Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995 (IMO STCW-F) and the International Labour Organization Convention Work in Fishing (ILO C188) are the most relevant instruments in regard to working conditions and occupational health of fishers. According to article 10 of the ILO C188, no fisherman shall work on board a fishing vessel without a valid medical certificate. However, in contrast with merchant seafarers who are covered by the joint ILO/IMO guidelines on medical examination, no specific guidelines for the medical examination of fishers existed.

Therefore, in the previous project ‘Pillars of the Sea 2: Project implementing part of the SSDC Work Programme’ (VS/2019/0013), the Social Partners for Sea Fisheries have together with the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) developed appropriate criteria for the medical fitness for fishers within the EU to harmonise the existing systems of medical examinations of fishers within the Member States.

These Guidelines, published in 20211 , also suggest additional requirements in the competences of the medical practitioners to contribute towards the harmonisation of standards for the medical examinations of fishers and to improve the quality and effectiveness of the health care provided for fishers. There is evidence that fishers often operate under stressful working conditions, long workhours, lack of good sleep, unhealthy diet, and lack of physical exercises, that contributes to fatigue, impaired well-being, mental ill-health, stress, and chronic diseases. As the medical practitioners may not be trained in health and safety prevention in fishing, it is recommended that the competent authorities develop a training programme to comply with the requirements, as evidently the competency of authorised medical practitioners is of crucial importance to the fishing industry.

Such requirements include initial training when first authorised and continuing training in the specific occupational health risk for fishers and the notification of diseases and injuries that may be identified as part of the medical examination to ensure ongoing knowledge and competency.

As a continuation of the guidelines on examination, the Social Partners aim to develop this training programme for authorised medical practitioners performing the medical examination of fishers and issuing medical certificates. It is essential that training can be given via guidance which fit the specificities of sea fishers. The medical practitioners should be experienced in general and occupational medicine, and in the fisher’s occupational health risks and prevention. Additionally, they should have knowledge of the living and working conditions on board fishing vessels, the job demands on board and in the harbour, such as unloading the catch and work in port in so far they relate to the effects of health. Their competency is of crucial importance to the fishing industry as authorised medical practitioners who perform medical examinations of fishers may also perform occupational health examinations.

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Grant Agreement Project 101051878
External contractor: Upgrade of the mobile application Fishery Speak

Background
Sea fishing is a remote and challenging professional activity. Considering the hazardous nature of the
work environment, it is paramount for the crew on board (often multinational) to be able to
communicate fast and understandably for the safest outcome of dangerous situations leading to
casualties and incidents. Half of the accidents for all types of fishing vessels take place during fishing
operations in territorial and open sea such as engine rooms on fire while on passage, capsizing or
grounding of the vessel, flooding, sinking, collision, and general loss of control. For instance, when
abandoning ship, actions like an emergency call, pick-up of the radio beacon, access the life raft, gather
at the meeting point and so on, require vast knowledge of the safety procedures and cannot permit
any faults in the communication between each crew member.
The Social Partners for Sea Fisheries therefore created the ‘Fishery Speak’ app as part of the project
‘Towards a true socially sustainable EU Fishery: The contribution of EU social partners’ (VS/2015/0042).
It is an interactive glossary, aimed at improving on board safety as well as navigation security. It
provides an overview of the main phrases used on board in relation to safety procedures. Since
releasing the app, the Social Partners observed that certain upgrades in functionality and speech
recognition were needed. Hence, in the latest project ‘Pillars of the Sea 2: project implementing part
of the SSDC Work Programme’ (VS/2019/0013), the application has been improved accordingly and
languages were added (the app currently entails English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Russian
and Italian).
Since the release of the upgraded application, positive feedback and requests for additional languages
and updates have been received. Hence, the aim is to further upgrade the mobile application with the
additional languages and necessary uploads and technical updates to be identified as essential by the
Social Partners.
The action aims at improving fishers’ knowledge and skills, as well as crew communication, which
ultimately improves safety on board and is therefore of special interest of the project.

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Pillars of the Sea 3: Project implementing part of the SSDC Work Programme roadmap towards socially sustainable fishing

Grant Agreement Project 101051878

External contractor: Development of guidelines on the recruitment of migrant fishers

Background
Sea fishing is a remote and challenging professional activity, yet for many years the attention of the
legislators and policy makers has been focused on the environmental side of the sector. The ratification
level of international conventions dedicated to working conditions in fisheries is terribly low. Lack of
coordination between different units of national administrations and international bodies dealing with
fisheries seems to be one of the key reasons behind the current state.
For instance, the overarching International Labour Organization Convention Work in Fishing (ILO C188)
has been ratified by only 20 countries, out of which 7 EU Member States. The Social Partners for Sea
Fisheries have been promoting the ratification of the Convention for years. To that end, we concluded
in 2012 the Agreement on implementing the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, transposed into EU law
by the Council Directive (EU) 2017/159. However, this Directive still has to be implemented by many
Member States.
This negligence in promoting decent working conditions in the fisheries sector leads to reduced
interest in joining the profession by EU citizens. This in turn contributed to the increased employment
in the EU waters of migrant fishers (from non-EEA countries) who often end up working in precarious
conditions or even fall victim to labour abuse. Due to the specificities of the fisheries sector, like
working offshore for long periods of time, it is often overseen by the regulatory and enforcement
bodies, making migrant fishers especially vulnerable.
The Social Partners would like to draw particular attention to the issue of the international recruitment
and placement of migrant fishers, as cases of abusive and fraudulent practices are still a reality in the
sector. There is therefore need for practical guidelines for the vessels owners on how to ensure that
the private employment agencies that they engage comply with human rights and international and
EU labour regulations.
The action is a continuation of the previous project, were the Social Partners reached a milestone, but
further work is needed on the model contracts. The guidelines should be practical to ensure that the
private employment agencies that vessel owners engage with, comply with human rights and
international and EU labour regulations. The deliverables therefore ought to be drafted in the legal
and technical language used by international organisations and in particular ILO, with cross-referencing
to ILO and IMO texts. This will facilitate the submission of the deliverables to ILO to possibly inspire
future guidelines on the matter.

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The European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD),’ Europêche, The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts andWWFl are writing to you today regarding the review launched by the European Commission of the 15-Point Action Plan on Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters to ensure that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) actually deliver in terms of sustainable development.

In the framework of this review, we call on you to ensure that EU trade and fisheries policies are properly aligned, including in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. One of the provisions mentioned in the Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters concerns the management of living marine resources and aquaculture products.

Under this provision, cooperation in the fight against IUU fishing is emphasised. As enshrined in the Common Fisheries Policy and reiterated in President von der Leyen’s mission letter to Commissioner Sinkevičius, the EU intends to apply a zero-tolerance approach towards IUU fishing. While commendable and, as a principle, fundamental for the preservation of our ocean, concrete actions need to be taken to this effect, including in EU trade policies.

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