The NAT commission met in Brussels on the 05th May 2015 and discussed the opinion on aquaculture and Civil Protection. Cllr Tony Buchanan, 1st Vice Chair of the NAT Commission welcomed the own-initiative opinion on aquaculture and said: "Scotland is the largest producer of farmed salmon in the EU. These sea farms are a key source of economic prosperity for the most remote parts of Scotland in the West and North Coasts, and the Western, Shetland and Orkney Islands. Aquaculture is thus a strategic sector for the development of Scottish rural and island economies. For that reason there are a number of recent policy and legislative instruments to promote aquaculture, notably the Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture and the Scottish Legislation on Aquaculture & Fisheries 2013. This also includes developing partnerships across the UK and in Europe such as the UK Aquaculture Forum or the Memorandum on Aquaculture between the Governments of Norway and Scotland. The EU has a crucial role to play due to the impact of the Common Fisheries Policy, the EU Marine and Fisheries Fund and the Blue Growth agenda."
During the debate on Civil Protection Mechanism which took place after the NAT commission meeting on 5 May 2015, Mr Enda Stenson, EA coordinator for the NAT commission pointed out that "local and regional authorities are usually key participants in the management of crisis situations and thus it would be appropriate to involve them in preparing risk management and risk management plans. The Local and regional authorities have institutional and political responsibility to protect their citizens and are often the first level of governance to react in case of emergency. They are also responsible for prevention measures".
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(Photo Mr Enda Stenson).