EU countries push for weaker environmental safeguards in fishing sector funding rules

EU countries are pushing for a weakening of environmental safeguards in the rules governing funding for the fishing industry under the European Commission's next long-term budget proposal. This comes as budget negotiations and discussions on prioritizing green goals are tense, with officials aiming to reach an agreement before the end of the year.

The €2 trillion seven-year budget, known as the multi-annual financial framework, includes conditions for fisheries funding to ensure EU money contributes to marine conservation and the blue economy. However, during a meeting of fisheries ministers, a majority of EU countries opposed these conditions, arguing that funding for fisheries should focus on modernizing fleets and respecting fish stocks.

Ireland's minister for agriculture and fisheries, Martin Heydon, stated that it is in the best interest of the fishing and aquaculture sectors to have clarity on funding access in the future budget. Despite the EU countries agreeing to a last-minute change, highlighting that funding rules for fisheries should be considered when applying the "Do No Significant Harm" rule to the overall EU budget, some countries like the Netherlands and Sweden did not support the deal.

The European Commission wants National and Regional Partnership Plans submitted by EU countries to contribute to the European Ocean Pact, aiming to protect marine ecosystems and promote the blue economy. However, the governments prefer to keep funding for the Ocean Pact optional and opt for a general reference to EU money promoting ocean sustainability.

The governments removed a requirement forcing member countries to consider environmental standards and the balance between fleet capacity and available fishing opportunities in their plans. Green groups disagree, arguing that the government's position could lead to overfishing and allow public money to support fleets with more capacity than the fish stocks can sustain.