The report addresses important difficulties faced by the EU fishing industry owing to the ageing of the workforce, high rate of accidents at sea, absence of harmonized training standards, poor image of the sector, lack of recognition of fishers’ qualifications at EU level, low women’s employment rate and lack of attractiveness of the sector for young fishers.

Social partners believe that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) must ensure that fishing activities are environmentally sustainable in the long-term while achieving economic, social and employment benefits and contributing to the availability of food supplies. Unfortunately, trying to achieve this already complex balance often leaves out the protection and wellbeing of fishers. The Social Partners regret that the fishing industry performance is repeatedly assessed in terms of ‘money’ and ‘planet’, but neglecting the ‘people’ who bring seafood to our tables.

Mr Pizarro and the Social Partners agree that prosperous and sustainable fishing requires specific attention and regulation to address issues not sufficiently covered by current fisheries policies, such as the social dimension of fishing. They pledge to work together to close existing legislative and policy gaps that, for far too long, have existed in the CFP.

Ment van der Zwan, Europêche’s spokesman on social affairs, declared: “The report is an important step in the right direction. However, we feel that more attention is needed towards the ratification and implementation of internationally agreed social and safety standards that protect fishers in all aspects of their work. For that reason, we call on all Member States to ratify the pioneering Work in Fishing Convention No 188. We also request the European Commission to propose a Directive to establish a harmonised inspections system on control and enforcement of social provisions. It is equally important that the Commission proposes a Directive to ensure harmonised training and safety standards in the EU by transposing the IMO STCW-F Convention”.

Juan Manuel Trujillo, workers’ spokesman in the EU social dialogue committee on sea-fisheries, stated: “We endorse the objectives set in the report. Additionally, it should underline the clear contradiction between the CFP and the requirements set out in social legislation such as the ILO C188. While the latter requires more space on board for the benefit of the crew, the CFP prevents the increase of space on board,even when the goal is to improve working and living conditions. We, therefore, urge the European Commission to identify alternative formulas for measuring fishing capacity that exclude areas for leisure and comfort from the calculation. Recreational space on board has nothing to do with the ability of the vessel to find, catch or store fish. Furthermore, the current capacity measurement rules jeopardise women’s access to the sector since separate cabins, toilets and showers are needed to guarantee their privacy and wellbeing. In particular in certain regions, such as the Mediterranean, the decreasing profitability of the sector due to the continuous reduction of fishing opportunities is a major obstacle for young workers to get in the fishing sector”.

Mr Pizarro concluded: “We need adequate social policies to guarantee better working and living conditions on board fishing vessels not only to attract young people to the activity but also to improve the safety and wellbeing of fishers. Despite technological improvements already introduced, still many accidents occur at sea, many of them related to human errors”. He continued: “It is equally important to debunk the myths and misconceptions surrounding the sector. Fishers should be seen as guardians of the sea and its resources. Only a positive perception of the profession that can offer a bright future to young people can secure the generational change of fishers”.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche | Phone: +32 2 230 48 48 | Email: daniel.voces@europeche.org

Andrea Albertazzi, ETF Policy Officer | Phone: +32 2 28 54 588 | Email: a.albertazzi@etf-europe.org

EP and ETF Press Release – Plenary Meeting

Photo by Thomas Millot on Unsplash

Just a couple of weeks ago the European Commission presented its proposal, putting forward the necessary legislative modifications to allow Member States more flexibility to reallocate funds under the EMFF so they could be destined to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus where needed. The Commission also modified EMFF-provisions to allow aid for those fleets forced to stay in the port due to quarantine measures, operational problems or market disruptions. Both the Council and the Parliament, in an unprecedented and rapid manner, not only endorsed the proposal but added further flexibility. These EU institutions included new vessels and fishermen on foot, who are mostly women, as eligible for support in case of temporary cessation as requested by the industry.

Ment van der Zwan, Europêche’s spokesman on social affairs, declared: “We welcome the extraordinary measures quickly adopted by EU authorities. We still urge the European Commission to take further steps to effectively cope with the crisis. These should include the possibility to transfer up to 25% of this year’s unused quota to 2021, measures to compensate the loss of income of fishermen suffering a huge fall in first-sale prices and the injection of extra-funding for countries that have spent most of their available national funding under the EMFF. On top of this, we call on the Commission to launch a seafood promotion campaign in order to boost consumption levels throughout the EU and recognise the hard work and dedication of our fishermen.”

Juan Manuel Trujillo, workers’ spokesman in the EU social dialogue committee on sea-fisheries,  concluded: “The financial package will certainly bring relief and stability to fishermen and their families. As food providers, they need to be identified as essential workers at all levels. In this context, we call on EU institutions to put all efforts to find solutions for the safe repatriation of fishermen who are enduring travel and disembarkation restrictions across the world, allowing for the necessary crew changes. Furthermore, they need priority access to Covid-19 tests and protection means such as masks and gloves.”

The EU Social Partners call upon the Member States to fully implement these extraordinary measures in an effective and balanced manner in order to compensate and relieve both operators and workers to guarantee a future for local fishing communities and the European industry overall.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 2 230 48 48  daniel.voces@europeche.org

Andrea Albertazzi, ETF Political Secretary: +32 2 28 54 588    a.albertazzi@etf-europe.org

EP and ETF Press Release – COVID 19 EMFF