The European Association of Fish Producers Organisations, which represents forty POs across ten EU member states, held its Annual General Meeting in Galicia on 17 June, hosted by the local members OPPC3 and OPPF4 and by ARVI, the local fishing vessel owners association. The UK referendum was not on the agenda and did not affect the spirit of co-operation among the POs from 10 EU member states.
Pim Visser was unanimously returned as EAPO president for a two-year term, while Ivan Krarup Jensen was confirmed as treasurer and José A. Suarez Llanos as secretary. Emiel Brouckaert remains the executive head of the Belgian secretariat.
At the start of the meeting the President reported on the past eventful and busy year for EAPO. Subsequently the activities of the working groups – the back bone of EAPO – were presented.
The landing obligation, fisheries/science partnerships, certification and multi-annual management plans were addressed in the Northern Pelagic, North & South Western Waters and North Sea Working Groups. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is followed in its own Working Group and the chairman of the Markets Working Group focussed on the import rules for fishery and aquaculture products and EAPO’s success to create a Markets Advisory Council under the Common Fishery Policy (CFP).
European Commissioner Karmenu Vella apologised in a video message for not being able to attend the meeting in person and addressed the importance of POs to assist in reaching the objectives of the CFP. This opened an indispensable part of the annual meeting providing the opportunity for EAPO members to discuss with representatives of the European Commission.
The topics addressed during this discussion were around the POs’ Production and Marketing Plans (PMP), new products and tools for improving the marketing, and the financing of these items. The ecosystem approach in the MSFD and the choke species problem coming with the landing obligation were issues that obviously could not be resolved at the EAPO General Assembly, but the debate between members and DG MARE representatives provided ideas for the further work EAPO will have to do around these themes.
‘Our Spanish members organised a fruitful period in Vigo, with our own General Assembly preceded by an International Conference on the Future of Fisheries on June 16th,’ commented EAPO President Pim Visser.
‘Both meetings were very well attended by our members. I am grateful for the faith the membership expressed in my re-election at this General Assembly. Furthermore some important decisions were taken which gives me the confidence that EAPO will continue to positively contribute to resolving the issues that come with the implementation of the CFP.’
‘Like for all European organisations with an important UK membership, the Brexit will weigh on our working process.’ he commented subsequently. ‘At our General Assembly which was shortly before the UK referendum, the unity of our entire membership in defending the interest of the fisheries we represent, was not affected. It is my intention to maintain this in our upcoming meetings at which the Brexit will have to be addressed.’
