European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis held talks on Tuesday with industry, governments and other groups on how EU aquaculture policy is being put into practice.
The meeting — described by the Commission in a statement as an “implementation dialogue” — brought together aquaculture businesses and associations, retailers, non-governmental organisations, civil society and EU member states.
Aquaculture refers to the farming of fish and shellfish, rather than catching them at sea.
The EU’s aquaculture sector currently accounts for 0.72% of global production by volume — about 1 million tonnes — and 1.29% by value, worth €4.66 billion.
Policy review and long-term plans
Participants discussed progress in implementing EU aquaculture policy and legislation, the Commission said.
The exchange was also intended to feed into the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation and the development of a “Vision 2040” for fisheries and aquaculture.
The discussion covered challenges, opportunities, bottlenecks, possible areas for improvement and examples of best practice in the sector.
“The expertise of our sector representatives is crucial in helping us understand both the progress made and the challenges ahead for EU aquaculture,” Kadis said.
All European Commissioners have been tasked with organising two implementation dialogues per year, following a request from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
