In a matter of hours, European Union Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki will unveil to the European Parliament her much-anticipated proposals for reform to the EU’s much-maligned Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Damanaki’s address kicks off a series off discussions, beginning with the EU Council of Ministers on 19 July, that will continue through the proposals’ implementation in 2013.
Check SeafoodSource regularly on Wednesday for coverage of Damanaki’s address as well as reaction to it. SeafoodSource will be tweeting (via @SeafoodSource) throughout her press conference, scheduled to begin at noon in Brussels. A story summing up Damanaki’s key proposals will follow.
What’s more, SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Lindsey Partos will be attending an event titled “The Future of Europe’s Fisheries” at the Zoological Society of London on Wednesday evening. The event will feature UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon, who will issue the UK government’s reaction to Damanaki’s proposals, and celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, head of the Fish Fight campaign, which is calling for a ban on discarding fish at sea as part of a new CFP. The event is sponsored by several environmental NGOs, including Ocean2012, World Wildlife Fund and Marine Conservation Society.
SeafoodSource has been on top of the issue since the European Commission in April 2009 released a green paper detailing the CFP’s weaknesses.
Damanaki will address questions and concerns about her proposals via her Twitter account on Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon. (Click here to read the story on Damanaki’s proposals.)
For insight on how much support Damanaki’s proposals are expected to receive, check out SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Jason Holland’s recent commentaries “CFP reform: Devil will be in the details” and “Damanaki’s rally cry for CFP reform.”
Also, don’t miss Partos’ exclusive on-camera interview with Damanaki at the European Seafood Exposition in May.
