The Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Rights, Alicia Bugeja Said, attended the Council of European Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries in Brussels, where several themes related to sustainability were discussed. of the sectors, the fishing quotas in the Mediterranean for the year 2025, as well as the agricultural aids to meet the present challenges.
During her intervention, Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said reiterated the importance that the sacrifices that are and have been made by Maltese and Gozitan fishermen be rewarded in a short time. “We want to look after our fishermen who every day have to face various challenges in order to earn their daily bread. As Government we have launched various measures to help local fishermen and we will continue to launch various initiatives in order to have a more sustainable sector”, continued Bugeja Said.
She also supported the need to have more controls in the Mediterranean sea to ensure that the rules are respected by everyone, in particular by countries that are not members of the European Union. Besides this, the Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said continued to support the need to observe more studies with the aim of increasing the fish catch quotas for the fishermen.
“We as a country are insisting that the quotas be increased because it is clearly seen from the scientific studies carried out and from the information obtained, that the current fishing is sustainable and is not causing damage to the fish population. We have seen this both in tuna and lampuki, among others, which are the two most popular types of fish in our country,” said Bugeja Said.
The Council of European Ministers also discussed the agricultural sector where Malta intervened to emphasize its position. While calling for more flexibility in the CAP Strategic Plans and in the regulation on State aid, Malta asked for the allocation of funds not only during moments of crisis, but also as a prevention for the challenges linked to – climate change including drought and floods.
Photos – MAFA_PS
