Elements with tag transparency
WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies are now entering the final stage. After two decades of dialogue, trade ministers from 164 countries are resolved to secure an agreement ahead of the ministerial conference of 15 July this year. The European fishing industry represented by Europêche fully sustains the need to curb harmful subsidies globally, similarly to what has been done in the EU in the early 2000’s. In this direction, the fishing sector calls on EU institutions and Member states to defend the public aid system established under EU legislation, including the newly adopted Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFAF). Likewise, the sector urges the EU not to succumb to external pressure and defend fuel tax relief schemes. The opposite will drive the fleet to ruin.
The MarInnLeg Foundation has released a new report entitled “Diagnosis of Blue Interest Groups”, presented at the European Parliament during the event “Financing of Civil Society Actors in Fisheries: Who Pays the Bill?”1, hosted by the EPP Group. The report compiles publicly available data on the so-called “Blue Interest Groups” that influence the development of EU fisheries policies. Its objective, to clarify whom these groups represent, the interests they promote and the financial resources they manage. The report highlights concerns regarding the transparency of funding sources and the potential influence of broader geopolitical interests in some conservation-focused organisations.