The proposed new autonomous quota system (ATQ) for 2016 to 2018 will not help an EU seafood industry that depends on foreign trade for growth and innovation.
That was the conclusion of the EU Fish Processors and Traders (AIPCE-CEP) at its 25 September general assembly in Bergen. AIPCE announced the upcoming release of its finfish study, the result of more than 20 years of work studying the EU fish processing industry.
Among the study’s key findings, AIPCE noted total market supply is up 1.7 percent to 14.4 million metric tons, whitefish dependency remains at 89 percent for wild species, EU catches for whitefish species have increased marginally (+1 percent) with marginal improvement of quota utilization, and exports have expanded by 8 percent.
“Despite the clear indication from the finfish study that dependence on imports remains at the same levels, the initial proposal from the commission for the next autonomous tariff quotas round is surprisingly not conducive to growth or innovation,” said G. Pastoor, AIPCE President. “A European Commission which puts jobs and growth at the forefront of their policies contradicts itself by restricting the growth in an industry which generates 120,000 direct jobs across 3,500 enterprises”
AIPCE presented its conclusions despite statements in the official ATQ report requested by the Commission before making their proposal that the ATQ “does not have any detectable negative impacts on the EU production sector.”
“We hope that the European Commission will understand that the autonomous tariff quotas regime is a vital tool for our industry and will be able to adjust their proposal to take on board the necessary changes which will enable this system (to) continue generating added value in the EU,” said P. Bamberger, CEP President
