Fisheries

In the field of fisheries, Greece aims at enhancing the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector with an emphasis on the quality, safety and the traceability of the fishery products.

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union (EU) aims at the sustainable management of the fishery and aquaculture resources from an economic, environmental and social perspective, as well as the increase of the employment and social cohesion in coastal areas. The basic purpose of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy of the year 2014 was the preservation of marine resources by eliminating overfishing in the European Union and the achievement of sustainable fishery by the year 2020. Although progress has been made in some EU fisheries, the situation in the Mediterranean Sea remains worrying with most species being overfished. Therefore, efforts to achieve sustainable fishing in this sea must continue. In June 2018, the European Commission presented a proposal on the financing of the Member States of the EU by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for the period 2021-2027, which amounts to a total of 6.11 billion euros. This funding is key to the sustainable exploitation and conservation of marine biological resources, to food security through the supply of seafood, to the development of a sustainable blue economy and healthy, safe, protected clean seas and oceans subject to sustainable management.

For Greece, which will receive the sum of 375 million Euros for the aforementioned period, the key priority within the context of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, is to strengthen the small coastal fishing sector, given that the large majority of its fishing vessels are small coastal vessels. Small coastal fishing has significant added value for the local communities and contributes to the social cohesion of the outermost island areas.

For more info: ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp_en