From the official press release of the European Committee of the Regions. Read the full version here.
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has adopted the opinion 'Sustainable blue economy and aquaculture' during its plenary session on 1-2 December. It includes a set of proposals to reduce administrative burdens and improve the competitiveness of the blue economy and aquaculture. The opinion contributes to the new Communication on Sustainable Blue Economy and the strategic guidelines for sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture published by the European Commission (EC) in May 2021.
Rapporteur Bronius Markauskas (LT/EA), Mayor of Klaipėda district municipality said: “Sustainable investment is crucial for the successful development of the blue economy. It is necessary to finance innovation and the development of new products, invest in smart solutions, and support new technologies. Aquaculture should also be recognised as a specific policy area and have a clear definition. Regional governments could make a significant contribution to achieving the objectives of the Green Deal by effectively managing cohesion and environmental innovation funds, and local and regional authorities should be equal partners of central governments. Therefore, it is necessary to promote and support local participatory initiatives, which combine regenerating marine resources with preserving local livelihoods, the traditions and cultural heritage".
Members denounce that aquaculture is hampered by excessively lengthy and complicated authorisation procedures and limited access to waters. The Committee thus proposes a one-stop-shop for aquaculture licenses to be set up as soon as possible. Members recommend training modules for local authorities on EU permit granting to speed up business development and compliance with EU rules. The CoR reiterates its previous call to develop a European eco-label for aquaculture products.
The Committee calls for the future Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to also cover fisheries and aquaculture products. In order to reinforce the internal market, the CoR also calls on the EC to propose new legislation to prevent fish imports that do not match the EU's social and environmental standards.
The Committee calls for a clear definition of the term "sustainable aquaculture". Regions need clear guidelines for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture as well as a detailed action plan, members agree. The Committee reiterates its call for the European Commission to submit to the Member States a proposal for rules on how local and regional authorities should be involved in identifying, developing, planning and managing blue economy policies in order to develop dynamic blue economy ecosystems.
On the financial front, EU local leaders reiterate the call to use 10% of the budget from the current Framework Programme for Research and Innovation marine and maritime objectives. The Committee welcomes the BlueInvest platform yet stresses that aquaculture has difficulties benefiting from EU funds, calls for a review for accessing those and regrets that the Interreg budget for territorial cooperation has been reduced. Members States are requested to include investments in the blue economy within their Resilience and Recovery plans. The Committee nevertheless deplores that regional governments are not being sufficiently consulted in the development of Member States fisheries, blue economy and aquaculture strategies.
The CoR members recall the importance to boost cooperation between academia, public authorities and industry to maximise the potential of smart specialisation strategies and develop efficient sustainable blue economy ecosystems. The objectives of the European Green Deal cannot be achieved without a sustainable blue economy, members agree.
Members recall that maritime transport emissions have increased by almost 32% over the last 20 years. The development of clean maritime transport and a sustainable shipbuilding industry is a prerequisite to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The Committee, therefore, supports the European Commission's objectives of potentially reducing SO2 and NOx emissions from international shipping by up to 80% and 20% respectively within 10 years.
Additionally, the CoR reiterates the need to accelerate the transition towards sustainable fish farming and therefore welcomes the European Commission's intention to take measures to reduce the total sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and aquaculture by 50% by 2030.
The blue economy employs close to 4.5 million people and generates around €650 billion in turnover and €176 billion in gross value added (EC) in the EU. Aquaculture – fish farming, accounts for 20% of fish and shellfish supply in the EU. The sector is composed of 15,000 enterprises and employs 70,000 people. As part of the blue economy, fisheries and aquaculture, are key to boosting the COVID-19 economic recovery, creating jobs and offering sustainable development opportunities to coastal and rural populations. Red tape and insufficient investments remain today the main obstacles to the full development of European aquaculture. There is a pressing need for radical change to reduce human activity on seas and protect oceans as they make up more than 90% of inhabitable space and absorb 26% of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
