Esquerra readies action in all legislative chambers to get the European measure reviewed so as to consider the needs of the fishing community and shield the survival of the sector in Catalonia

Esquerra Republicana has announced a joint effort in all the representative chambers to firmly oppose the European Commission’s proposal that plans for a drastic reduction in fishing rights as of 2025, which implies serious consequences for Catalonia’s fishing fleet. The proposal, to be debated on 9 and 10 December, could reduce days of fishing by up to 79%, endangering the economy and social fabric of several Catalan coastal towns. Specifically, the proposal would reduce days of fishing for each boat from 133 to between 20 and 28 as of January 2025. That is why Esquerra has activated a national and European strategy to demand the review of the proposal and guarantee the participation of the sector in the negotiation of the Multiannual Fisheries Plan for the Western Mediterranean.

As regards the European Union, Esquerra MEP Diana Riba has addressed several questions to the European Commission and the Council on the criteria of the measures and their social and economic impact. She has also insisted that “it is necessary to establish the scientific data that underpins these and whether they are aligned with the recommendations and information provided by the FAO.”

Ms Riba has also questioned “whether the Commission has previously consulted the fishing sector before implementing the measures and whether it plans to include it in future negotiations to adapt the Multiannual Fisheries Plan for the Western Mediterranean,” warning that “decisions of this importance cannot be made without taking the sector into account.”

Esquerra has called for the Minister of Agriculture to appear before the Spanish Congress and Senate to explain how he will prevent the EU Council of Ministers from approving the proposal detrimental to the Catalan fleet. Esquerra has also addressed a written question to the ministry to specify what measures it will take. In this regard, deputy spokesperson for Esquerra in Congress Teresa Jordà has highlighted that “the Catalan fishing fleet has done their homework above and beyond that needed to adapt to the new environmental conditions. Esquerra will not let up.” Senator Jordi Gaseni has warned that “the approval of this proposal would be the ruin of a whole sector that supports entire populations in Tarragona”.

The Parliament of Catalonia has joined this package of initiatives, with Esquerra addressing a written question asking the Catalan Generalitat government what actions it will take before the Spanish government to prevent the approval of the European Commission’s proposal. In this regard, the member of the Catalan parliament Irene Aragonès has pointed out that “this measure will have a devastating impact on the sector and will threaten the survival of the fishing system in the Mediterranean. The efforts made so far to recover stocks cannot be ignored, since without a moratorium, its application will condemn the sector to disappear.”