Among her responsibilities, Ms Angibaud will oversee EU legislation and policy, governance, trade and market issues, scientific work and communications, with a particular focus on bottom fisheries. She will also provide strategic advice on North-East Atlantic matters, including relations with Norway and the UK.

With over five years of international experience spanning marine environmental organizations and the French National Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ms. Angibaud has developed strong expertise in fisheries policy and its pivotal role in ensuring food sovereignty. However, she is concerned that sustainable EU fisheries, such as bottom trawling, wrongly suffer from widespread misinformation. ‘From experience, I know how vital bottom fisheries are to feed people, sustain jobs, and keep coastal communities alive. Yet, I fear that the progressive loss of EU bottom trawlers will only increase the 70% EU dependence of seafood imports from non-EU countries, such as Asians ones. We must revert the situation now,’ she said. “Our vessels comply with the highest global standards of environmental and social sustainability. There is always room for improvement, and we are working hard to minimize our environmental footprint. Innovations like AI machine learning show great promise, allowing to sort species and sizes directly underwater rather than on deck.’

European fishers are at a critical crossroads. Despite being one of the most low-carbon food-producing sectors, fishing is increasingly marginalized—both physically, through spatial exclusion, and politically, within geopolitical, environmental and marine spatial planning frameworks. ‘I will dedicate all my efforts to ensuring that the voice of EU fisheries is heard in EU forums on these crucial topics. Food production must be treated as a priority for the EU, on par with security, renewable energy, transport or environmental protection,’ she concluded.

Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared: “We are delighted to have Mrs Angibaud in Europêche’s team and warmly welcome her aboard. Her experience and expertise will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to our companies in the EU and international arena. I’m sure she will take a pro-active role in advocating fishing activities that are carried out in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way”.  

Press Contact:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche

Email: daniel.voces@europeche.org │ Phone: +32 489 26 81 07

Margot Angibaud, Senior Policy Advisor

Email: margot.angibaud@europeche.org │ Phone: +32 494 19 03 96

EP Press Release – New Senior Policy Advisor

With the support from the European Commission, Pillars of the Sea 3 united industry specialists and stakeholders to deliver actionable solutions that address social sustainability in the fisheries sector. The initiative, part of the European Social Dialogue for Sea Fisheries, emphasises fair recruitment, worker safety, occupational health, and effective communication for multinational crews, paving the way for a safer and more worker-friendly industry worldwide.

Social Partners expressed appreciation for the European Parliament’s support, particularly from MEPs Casares and Cabral, in highlighting essential advancements and tools designed to strengthen fair labour practices, safety, and health standards within the EU fishing industry and beyond. The sector also aims to foster socially responsible fish sourcing and consumption within the EU market. ‘We invite policymakers to use the tools and policy recommendations developed under this initiative to continue advancing the social dimension of fisheries and ensure comprehensive sustainability across the EU.’

With strong participation from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the conference highlighted the project’s global impact on fishers’ health and safety. The ILO Director for the EU, Verboven, closed the event, underscoring a shared commitment to improving working conditions at sea. Representatives from ILO’s EU and international offices attended, showing support for the project’s health initiatives.

In an earlier phase, the EU Social Partners, in collaboration with the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA), developed vital guidelines for fishers’ medical exams, which the ILO and International Maritime Organization (IMO) officially adopted in February. Building on this success, the new project phase offers a dedicated Training Programme for medical practitioners, helping them conduct fitness exams required under the ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention (C188). With the IMO’s upcoming revised Code (IMO’s Code of the International Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel) soon to introduce similar requirements, these combined efforts are set to strengthen health standards across the fishing industry worldwide.

Key Areas of Focus for ‘Pillars of the Sea 3’:

1. Trade measures to combat forced labour in fisheries
   The project examined the potential for EU customs authorities to restrict seafood imports from vessels or countries with documented labour abuses, including forced and child labour. This effort seeks to protect human rights and foster sustainable practices throughout the seafood supply chain, in line with the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy.
2. Guidelines for fair recruitment of migrant fishers
   This pillar provides comprehensive guidelines for fishing companies and crew agencies to promote ethical recruitment practices and uphold workers’ rights as well as model contracts of employment based on EU legislation and international labour standards. These guidelines aim to enhance transparency in hiring and to attract skilled young professionals to the fishing industry.
3. Training programme for medical examination of fishers
   Addressing fishers’ specific occupational health needs, the project developed a training program for medical practitioners authorised to conduct mandatory medical exams for fishers under ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention (C188). This programme ensures that practitioners can identify and manage the unique health risks associated with fishing.
4. ‘Fishery Speak’ Mobile App
   Based on feedback from stakeholders, the project enhanced the Fishery Speak mobile application, a mobile glossary of essential maritime terms, by adding new languages and functionalities. These updates improve communication among multinational crews, contributing to safety and effectiveness on board.

Support and Vision for the Future

The conference, held at the European Parliament, underscored Europêche and ETF’s commitment to advancing the Common Fisheries Policy’s social objectives. With the European Commission’s support, this project tackles labour rights, ethical recruitment, occupational health, and the global fight against forced labour, setting a new standard for socially responsible and sustainable fishing practices.

Co-funded by the EU under the Social Dialogue Support Program (Project Number: 101051878), Pillars of the Sea 3 is a 2-year project that began on September 1, 2022, and is set to conclude in 2024.

Press contact:

Rosalie Tukker, Europêche Senior Policy Advisor: rosalie.tukker@europeche.org

Andrea Albertazzi, ETF Fisheries Policy Officer: a.albertazzi@etf-europe.org

EU Social Partness Press Release – Dissemination Conference Pillars of the Sea

Our Journey and Achievements

In previous work, the EU Social Partners in the fisheries sector created comprehensive medical guidelines for fishers. We are thrilled to announce that these guidelines have been adopted globally by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). This new set of guidelines, finalised during a joint meeting from 12 to 16 February 2024 in Geneva, will help improve the medical examination process for fishers worldwide. These guidelines, developed in collaboration with the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA), aim to ensure that fishers are healthy and fit for their important but demanding roles, ultimately improving their health and safety at sea. The IMO will introduce a similar requirement through its newly developed Code of the International Convention on the Standards of Training and Certification of Watchkeeping of Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F).

Project Overview

“Pillars of the Sea 3” builds on our previous achievements, addressing various pressing issues through its four key pillars:

1. Guidelines for the Recruitment of Migrant Fishers: This pillar continues the development of model contracts to facilitate compliance with EU and international labour regulations, addressing abusive and fraudulent practices in recruitment.
2. Training Programme for Medical Practitioners: Building on the guidelines developed in the previous project, this pillar aims to train medical practitioners in the specific health risks associated with fishing, ensuring they can provide appropriate medical care and certification.
3. Legal Analysis on Market and Custom Tools to Combat Forced Labor: This pillar explores the potential for EU customs and legislative tools to restrict seafood imports from vessels or countries identified for labour abuses, aligning with the EU’s commitment to human rights and sustainability.
4. Refining the ‘Fishery Speak’ App: Enhancing this interactive glossary with additional languages and technical updates to improve communication and safety on board fishing vessels.

Join Us at Our Dissemination Conference

We invite policymakers, fisheries stakeholders, and media to keep an eye out for the upcoming dissemination conference in the fourth quarter of the year in Brussels, date to be determined. This event will highlight the impactful results of our project and discuss future steps toward ensuring socially sustainable fishing practices in the EU and beyond.

Background

Fishing, a fundamental yet challenging industry, has often seen legislative attention centred on environmental issues, overshadowing the essential working conditions of fishers. The sector suffers from low ratification levels of international conventions on fishers’ working conditions and a lack of coordination among national and international bodies. This gap has led to a decline in EU citizens joining the profession and labour challenges worldwide.

 Press contact: 

Rosalie Tukker, Europêche Senior Policy Advisor, rosalie.tukker@europeche.org

Social Partness Press Release – Enhancing Social Sustainability in EU Fisheries

The fishing sector represented by the EBFA, Europêche, and EAPO would like to express its gratitude to EU governments for the continued dialogue in search of the best way to implement EU regulations and the CFP, identifying ways to effectively protect vulnerable marine ecosystems and feed a growing population whilst reducing our dependency from foreign seafood imports.

The sector unanimously feels that the Action Plan places a heavy and disproportionate burden on the EU fleet, which is still struggling with the consequences of Brexit, the Covid pandemic, inflation, and the energy crisis. Likewise, according to the sector, it also places additional stress on Members States that will have to deal with objectives not justified by science and bound to negatively affect entire fishing dependent communities under an unrealistic timetable.

The sector recalls that the bottom fishing ban is a completely new objective, not based on any international or European rule, that will not follow the ordinary legislative process. This approach limits the political debate, the opinion of national administrations, and the European Parliament in the decision-making process. For the sector, it is clear that if there is any change to the Common Fisheries Policy, the Commission must follow the established legislative process: Through the Council and the European Parliament.

Iván López van der Veen, Chair of EBFA, declared: “National authorities have a specific mission and responsibility vis-à-vis their citizens to implement EU rules, secure jobs, and supply the market with sustainable seafood. It is therefore difficult to understand that the European Commission has chosen to adopt an Action Plan, without consulting Member States, despite putting them at the centre of the debate with the fisheries package. The legal nature of the instrument selected also raises legal questions. Since it is not EU law, citizens and companies, or even Member States, affected have no right to challenge in court the disproportionate impact of the Action Plan, leaving them defenceless. In a nutshell, no consultation, no debate, and no possible legal defence because of the path the Commission selected to bring its proposals forward”.

The sector therefore considers the prohibition of bottom mobile gears as an objective clearly disproportionate, unjustified, not based on the best available science, and contrary to international commitments. During the meeting, the sector reiterated its call on the Council and the European Parliament to halt the Action Plan as proposed by the Commission.

Press contact:

Daniel Voces de Onaíndi, Secretary of the EBFA: info@bottomfishingalliance.eu | Mobile +32 489 26 81 07

EP, EBFA and EAPO Press Release – Meeting Member States Action Plan

The appalling absence of officials from the Directorate-General on Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) at the Social Dialogue meeting dedicated to discussing the status of the Mediterranean was harshly criticized by the Social Partners. ETF, Europêche and Copa-Cogeca stressed that their Committee is a key actor of the democratic legislative process, enshrined in the EU Treaty, that cannot be overlooked.

The Social Partners called for fisheries policies based on proper socio-economic impact assessments and for fisheries management measures that fishers can cope with. See their Resolution.

Juan Manuel Trujillo, ETF Fisheries Section Chair stated: “We want to have a thriving Mediterranean fishing sector that is sustainable from an environmental point of view. But at the same time, we want the industry also to be capable of offering quality jobs to  Europeans citizens and long-term economic perspective to companies”. He warns that under no circumstances the social partners “want to end up in a situation where the consumption of fishing products in the EU is delegated to imports of products of doubtful origin”.

During the meeting, the Social Partners also insisted on the need to wait for the results of scientific evaluations measuring the effects of the restrictions introduced in 2019-2021 to adjust fishing effort before proposing further reductions that would only make the sector to suffer even more.

Europêche’s spokesperson in the European social dialogue, Ment van der Zwan, added: ‘’Aware of the delicate situation in the Mediterranean Sea, the fishing sector is already taking its responsibility, reducing its activity at sea, which is benefiting the recovery of fish stocks as reported by scientific data. Yet, the obstinate application of the multiannual management plan on the Western Mediterranean, which has already reduced trawler fishing activity by 17.5% over the past two years (23.5% in 2022) accompanied by new measures restricting fishing operations, is driving most businesses below their breakeven point. The situation is untenable, we are destroying our own coastal communities, our culture, our heritage, to reach short-term unrealistic EU policy objectives”.

Social Partners Press Release – Viable and Sustainable Fishing Activity in the Mediterranean Sea

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