On Monday, March 24th, Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze participated in the European Union (EU) Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, where member states shared their views on the European Commission's (EC) vision for the future of agriculture and food. They also discussed solutions for changing the rules on how pelagic fish are brought to shore without sorting, an issue that Latvia and Lithuania highlighted as urgent.
In its conceptual vision published in February, the EC emphasized that agriculture and food production, including fisheries, are strategically important sectors for the EU. Member states agreed that the production of safe and high-quality food in the EU should not be taken for granted and acknowledged that the future EU policy must be adapted to ensure that by 2040 the agri-food sector remains competitive, sustainable, resilient, and attractive to new generations.
Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze stated: "Overall, we view the European Commission's vision for the future positively. However, we will only be able to implement it if we fundamentally simplify the policy and ensure financial resources adequate the stated objectives. This includes recognizing the strategic importance of the EU’s eastern region, particularly the border areas with Russia and Belarus, and the need to support them, especially in the current geopolitically uncertain situation."
Member states also expressed their opinions on the need to amend the new conditions for the permissible margin of tolerance (MOT) in fisheries, a topic that Latvia and Lithuania once again brought forward for discussion in the Council. Latvia insisted that the EC should urgently present a proposal for amendments to the existing fisheries control regulations. At the same time, it is necessary to review the criteria for determining serious violations related to MOT and agree that infringements concerning unregulated bycatch species should not be classified as serious offenses.
During a meeting with EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis, Minister Armands Krauze also stressed the vital importance of abolishing the requirement to penalize fishermen who unintentionally make inaccurate estimates of catch volumes at sea, particularly for unregulated small-sized fish species. If a solution is not found urgently, there is a risk of destroying the Baltic Sea fisheries and the fish processing industry. Companies will simply shut down. The minister also drew the commissioner’s attention to Russia’s intensified and targeted fishing activities in the Baltic Sea, which EU member states’ fishing quota restrictions cannot compensate for.