European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg has inaugurated the new offices of the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) in Vigo, Spain. The opening ceremony was attended by Spanish Minister of Environment, Marine and Rural Affairs Elena Espinosa, President of the Galician Government Emilio Perez Touriño and many prominent personalities in the field of fisheries.
The Community Fisheries Control Agency is a cornerstone of the EU’s efforts to ensure sustainability in Europe’s fisheries sector. The agency was started from the beginning of 2007, and since then the Agency organises coordination and cooperation between national control and inspection activities, to ensure that the rules of the EU’s common fisheries policy are respected and applied effectively.
According to Joe Borg the Agency’s relocation to Vigo marks its coming of age as a vital link in the chain of control and enforcement under the common fisheries policy. He further said that the Agency’s Joint Deployment Plans have proven their worth in preventing the overfishing of vulnerable stocks, whether it be cod in the Baltic or bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean. The Commission looks forward to building on its strong working relationship with the Agency, and will actively support any initiative which would make it even more effective.
According to commission the decision to establish the Agency was taken in 2002 as part of the reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP). Its priorities are to contribute to the recovery of depleted stocks, the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities and the reduction of discards. The main working method of the Agency is the operational coordination of pooled national means of control, inspection and surveillance, above all through Joint Deployment Plans focusing in particular on fisheries.
