European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will ask the EU ministers to shift up to 30 percent of certain fishing quotas to the 2015 season to help offset the negative effects of the Russian trade ban.
The Russian ban, implemented in August, prevents several Western nations, including the EU, from exporting some products, including seafood, to Russia. The ban is a retaliation for EU economic sanctions against Russia over Russia’s involvement in violent clashes in Ukraine.
“Since Russia has introduced an embargo on imports of European fisheries products this summer, we agreed that we need to help our fisheries sector in Europe — and quick,” Damanaki said on her blog.
Damanaki said she hopes to see the “banking of some of this year’s fishing quotas” to 2015, possibly as much as 30 percent. Damanaki said she will ask the ministers to decide upon a quota shift at an upcoming council for agriculture and fisheries on 13 October.
