Provincial deputy Ximo Perles, accompanied by the MEP of Compromís Vicent Marzà has held several meetings in Brussels to discuss the specific characteristics of fishing in the Valencian Mediterranean and to propose solutions that guarantee the viability of the sector in the face of the restrictions approved by the European Union.
Perles has traveled to Brussels to advocate for sustainable and artisanal fishing, as well as to explore alternative compensation measures to those required for species conservation under European regulations. Both he and Marzà have presented a series of proposals aimed at adapting the political European fisheries and the multiannual fisheries plan to the needs of family and small-scale fishing.
Marzà was the only MEP who received the delegation of Valencian brotherhoods who travelled to Brussels last December, in the midst of negotiations on the current proposal of the European Commission.
"Unfortunately, the voice of Valencian fishermen is not heard enough in Brussels. For this reason, at Compromís we have already started to work to avoid a repeat of what we saw in December: completely helpless fishermen and last-minute decisions that seriously harm them," said Marzà.
In this context, the Compromís delegation has not only met with the EU Director General for Fisheries, the Bulgarian Chalina Vitcheva, but also with representatives of the Spanish Government's Agri-Fisheries Council, with deputies from the Greens/EFA group and with the BNG MEP, Ana Miranda, member of the Fisheries Committee.
At these meetings, the grievances suffered by Valencian fishermen have been put on the table and various proposals have been put forward to correct them, all of them the result of dialogue with the sector and joint work with its representatives.
Measures proposed
The proposed measures include the need to link fishing days to the actual power of the vessels, to apply new compensatory measures, to rethink the current quota distribution system and to recognise the positive impact of artisanal fishing on the conservation of the marine environment, especially with regard to waste collection.
According to Ximo Perles, "We have come to Brussels with concrete proposals, the result of dialogue with the sector, such as the need to link the number of fishing days to the actual power of the vessels. This would allow those with less power to work more days and thus balance the overall fishing effort. The meetings have been fruitful and we have taken away numerous proposals and objectives to develop. Now it is time to continue working, side by side, with fishermen and municipal, supra-municipal, Valencian and Spanish administrations to guarantee a sustainable future for our small-scale fishing."
