— The Director General for External and EU Relations, Jesús Gamallo, and the Director General for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Technological Innovation, Antonio Basanta, took part today in the off-site meeting of the Natural Resources Commission (NAT) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) held in the Polish city of Torun, Poland

— Galicia leads the reaction of European regions to the package of measures published in February by the European Commission on the contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to the green transition in the European Union

Torun (Poland), June 1st 2023. The Director General for External Relations and relations with the EU, Jesús Gamallo, and the Director General for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Technological Innovation, Antonio Basanta, participated today with around one hundred European regional and local representatives in the presentation of the first ideas of the opinion A Política Pesqueira Común sobre o terreo: hacia unhas comunidades costeiras sostibles e resilientes na UE (The Common Fisheries Policy on land: towards sustainable and resilient coastal communities in the EU).

In February, the European Commission presented a package of four communications with the aim of improving “the sustainability and resilience of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector”. The proposed measures include a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas.

In this context, Galicia is leading the response of European regions and municipalities, for which Jesús Gamallo held a first discussion with NAT members today. The Xunta’s intention is to shape a regional vision that contributes to achieving a balance between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). During the debate, several representatives stressed the need to safeguard European fisheries, which requires more dialogue with the fishing sector. The importance of seafood products for food security in the EU, the difficulty of generational replacement and the decarbonisation of fishing activity were other issues addressed.

Progress on sustainability and consumer protection

The NAT Commission discussed two other opinions at its meeting in Poland. The first was on the Commission’s new plan to protect consumers from greenwashing, which calls for harmonisation of the measurement of the environmental impact of products produced in the EU. The second opinion, on the sustainability of European agriculture, suggests the creation of an EU fund that could issue “catastrophe bonds” to increase the protection of European producers against crises.

Galicia in the NAT commission of the European Committee of the Regions.

In this seventh term of the CoR, which began in 2020, Galicia participates in the Natural Resources Commission (NAT) and the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX). NAT prepares opinions in areas such as common agricultural and fisheries policies, tourism and public health.

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