On Monday and Tuesday, July 17 and 18, the Minister for Agriculture, Didzis Šmits, in Vigo (Spain) will take part in the informal meeting of the Council of Ministers for Fisheries of the European Union (EU) where ministerial discussions will take place on “Investing in the sustainability of the fisheries sector: towards decarbonisation ".
Fisheries sector depends heavily on fossil fuels, it is vulnerable to rising energy prices and therefore it is important to achieve transition to renewable energy resources and decarbonisation. However, as the Spanish Presidency points out, achieving the transition of energy resources currently used in the EU fishing fleet and thus reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere will be a major challenge. One of the main obstacles in replacement of energy resources is the lack of real alternatives. The specific character of construction and small dimensions of fishing vessels hamper investments in alternative energies, such as the use of hydrogen-powered engines. On the other hand, the construction of new vessels is limited by capacity ceilings of fishing fleets set by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and by the lack of financial support for the renewal of the fishing fleet, as it is not offered by the current European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFF).
However, it is important for Latvia that after implementation of energy transition and decarbonisation measures, Latvian fisheries sector is sustainable and competitive. This position will be expressed by the Minister for Agriculture, Didzis Schmidt at the meeting of the Council of Ministers for Fisheries.
Spain holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2023.