MEPS SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE EU AQUACULTURE

MEPs support development of sustainable EU aquaculture. EU needs to boost development of the sustainable aquaculture sector benefiting human health and furthering objectives of the European Green Deal.
European parliament adopted a report on the sustainable aquaculture in the EU by the European Parliament Rapporteur Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spain). With 486 votes against 105 and 27 abstentions, MEPs highlighted the social, environmental and economic potential of the EU aquaculture.
MEPs note that since the EU imports 70 % of all the aquatic food it consumes thus causing an annual trade deficit of 21 billion euro, the EU aquaculture sector has a great potential, but its development will require a transparent and reliable legal framework and economic predictability to be provided by the European Commission and EU member states.
EU aquaculture can contribute to food supply and food security by rebalancing the fish gap, providing sustainable and quality food products with smaller environmental footprint than land-based farming thus supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy. European Parliament also highlights socioeconomic opportunities associated with aquaculture development, especially in the coastal regions and rural areas. Marine as well as freshwater aquaculture can create new regional ecosystems providing employment opportunities attracting young people.
MEPs call on the Commission to set up quantitative growth objectives to motivate sector´s development and emphasise that the Commission and member states should make full use of the resources in the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and to dedicate part of the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support innovation and resilience of the EU aquaculture sector.
Following the vote, the European Parliament Rapporteur Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spain) noted:
“With this report, the European Parliament draws attention of the Member States and the European Commission to the main problems that the aquaculture sector is facing right now. The growth potential of the sector will only be developed in a predictable, streamlined and business-friendly framework. The multiannual national strategic plans must take into account the main obstacles to the development of this sector in the European Union, which are important, and we must give the aquaculture sector the space it deserves through appropriate land use planning.”
The EU aquaculture production accounts for just 1.15 % of global production. Almost 70% of the EU production is concentrated in just four EU member states – France, Greece, Italy and Spain. Only 10 % of EU seafood consumption comes from EU aquaculture and the EU is 41.2 % self-sufficient in fish and seafood, thus testifying to the potential represented by the development of the sustainable EU aquaculture.