Francisco Guerreiro urges Government to reject fisheries subsidies that harm the oceans

Brussels, 3 September 2020 – MEP Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/European Free Alliance) urges the Minister of the Sea to reject the concession of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.

In the letter, the MEP opposes any public help for non-small-scale vessels, i.e. the ones above 12 metres, namely because the majority of those European Union fleet segments is profitable since several years, as outlined in the respective official Annual Economic Report. Adding to this, about 90% of the Portuguese fleet is made up of small vessels with less than 12 meters.

“If we expand this public aid for the next segment (12-24 meters), we will have less funds for helping our own fishermen and women who could need it the most, as well as for scientific research, control and data collection”, clarifies the MEP.

As Shadow rapporteur for the Greens/EFA Group regarding the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the MEP alerts to the need to reject fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, as defined by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6.

Read the letter below.

Instead, Francisco Guerreiro defends the ring-fencing of sufficient funds for the protection and restoration of marine and coastal biodiversity and ecosystems, in order to increase the resilience of our oceans.

“I believe that they [the subsidies] shall be spent wisely and not in a way that could damage the sustainability of our common marine resources, and in line also with the objectives of our Common Fisheries Policy and the European Green Deal”, said the MEP.

The EMFF is the fund for marine and fisheries policies, one of the five European structural and investment funds under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2021-2027.

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