Our aim is to give support to the fisheries sector so that it becomes competitive, sustainable and resilient, both in Europe and Cyprus, European Union Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis said during a visit to the Community Council of Zygi on Friday, adding that there will be direct communication between his office and the Ministry of Agriculture to support fishermen.

For her part, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr. Maria Panayiotou, who accompanied the Commissioner to the Zygi, spoke of an "important day to strengthen the dialogue with fishermen" and make the sector sustainable and resilient.

In his remarks, the European Commissioner said that he is launching a Europe-wide tour of coastal areas to discuss with people from the wider fisheries and aquaculture sector the issues facing the industry, with the first meeting symbolically taking place in his home country, Cyprus, being “an opportunity to listen to the views, concerns and suggestions of people from the wider fisheries sector."

"The aim is to have a direct communication with these people and - if possible - to inoculate our own policies with their thoughts. They are the people who have daily contact with the sea, they know better than anyone else what the conditions in the sector are", he added.

Referring to Cyprus, Kadis said that "like other Mediterranean countries in Europe, they are facing particular challenges, which have to do with environmental problems, climate change, invasive species that alter the marine environment, pollution. Every day it is estimated that 700 tonnes of plastic are dumped into the Mediterranean, a problem that degrades and has an impact on fisheries."

We have, he continued, "issues of unfair competition from third countries and all these are under our microscope. There will be direct communication between the Ministry (of Agriculture) and my office, so that we can monitor these issues and give all the support we can within the framework of the European acquis, so that the fisheries sector, both in Europe and in Cyprus, becomes competitive, sustainable and resilient." This, he noted, "is our broader objective".

For her part, the Agriculture Minister said that the fact that the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans is launching this contact with the fishermen and the wider fisheries sector from his home country, "gives us a particular optimism because the small-scale and inshore fisheries, which characterise the fisheries sector in Cyprus, have their own particular challenges to face, whether interference at sea from invasive species and pollution, or the very sustainability of the sector."

She added that "all these challenges, which the Commissioner is very well aware of, are being put on the table and this is the most dynamic moment to be able to hear directly from those directly involved, through a dialogue that we already have with them".

According to Panayiotou, the particularity of today’s visit lies in the fact that fisheries community members "are all gathering together in one place so that we can listen to them, but also to the groups that represent them", and described as very important that "the contact with the fishermen has allowed us to provide concrete measures and plans that meet their needs."

The Minister referred specifically to the plan for the silver-cheeked toadfish with 4.73 euros and the recent decision for financial support against problems caused by dolphins in nets, with a compensation of up to 1,900 euros. "All this has been created by their own suggestions, it is such suggestions that we are looking for and it is these suggestions that we adopt in our policies", she noted

As she explained, "our policies will have no impact if they do not come from the same people who implement them so that they can give positive results. Today is a very important day to be able to strengthen this dialogue that we have with our fishermen, to empower, to make a sustainable and resilient sector."

At the same time, she expressed satisfaction for the fact that "we have young fishermen with us today," noting that "this is where we are focusing, to make the sector even more attractive."