Informele bijeenkomst in Litouwen van visserij attachés uit EU-lidstaten (en)

On 18-19 July the informal meeting of the EU member states fisheries attachés will be held in Lithuania’s seaport Klaipėda. The field experts are going to discuss the best practices of the implementation of the EU Member states’ Operational Programmes under the European Fisheries Fund, with a view to the preparation for the new financial programming period. During the meeting EU member states attachés will also pay a visit to a Lithuanian aquaculture farm, modern fish processing enterprise and a fishery products auction.

Lithuania, as the Presidency, has a very significant task - to reach an agreement on the third regulation establishing the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Last month the EU Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the first two regulations on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and on the Common Organisation of the Markets in Fishery and Aquaculture Products (known more widely as the CMO).

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund will be one of the most important instruments to finance the reformed CFP in 2014-2020. The informal fisheries attachés meeting will be a great opportunity to continue the debates of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, planned for 15 July and to share the experience of the implementation of the current European Fisheries Fund while preparing for the new financial programming period.

During the informal meeting the questions of the EU support for aquaculture and fish processing sectors, fishing fleet and ports will be discussed.

The new CFP regulation pays particular attention to the aquaculture seeking to promote its sustainable development and contribution to food supply for the EU market. The attachés will be invited to share the experience how the measures of the European Fisheries Fund contributed to the development of aquaculture sector and to the implementation of its environmental functions. The participants of the meeting will discuss the target areas for the support during the next EU financial perspective 2014-2020. The discussions will be followed by the visit to the aquaculture farm, where the attachés will have a practical opportunity to acquaint with the real input of the European Fisheries Fund to the aquaculture development.

The informal meeting will focus as well on the European Fisheries Fund support for the fish processing sector and for the fishing fleet. The participants will have an opportunity to visit the modern fish processing enterprise in the Lithuanian city Plungė and aKlaipeda’s fishing fleet harbor, where the delegates will visit the JSC ”Klaipeda fishery products auction” and see the Lithuanian ships fishing in the Baltic sea.

This traditional meeting, run in each Presidency of the Council of the EU, gives a wonderful opportunity to discuss the important fisheries issues as well as to present Lithuania and its fisheries sector to the EU Member States fisheries attachés.