LIFE Calls for Implementation of Article 17 of CFP – Press release

A Decade of Missed Opportunities: Europe’s Common Fisheries Policy at 10 Years

A decade after its adoption, the European Commission is set to publish a report on the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). According to the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), this has been a decade of missed opportunities for small-scale fisheries.

“Small-scale fishing activities are part of the solution, not part of the problem”, says Marta Cavallé, LIFE’s Executive Secretary. “Article 17 of the CFP is a potential game changer, if implemented fully. By giving those who fish more sustainably the rights to fish, rather than those who fish more intensively, fishery managers could transform the way we fish in Europe. This is the crux of Article 17”.

Article 17 of the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides an opportunity to steer European fisheries towards the future envisioned in the European Green deal and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 14b: climate neutral, economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and fair for small-scale fisheries. LIFE is therefore calling on Member States, the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament to seize the opportunity to fully implement Article 17 of the CFP and so pave the way towards sustainable fisheries and thriving coastal communities. This would require Member States to develop and publish transparent and objective criteria of an environmental, social and economic nature and to the European Commission to provide guidelines and a detailed implementation plan with a requirement for Member States to report on progress on an annual basis.

“You don’t treat things that are different in the same way”, says the Portuguese Euro Deputy João Pimenta Lopes, author of the recently adopted Parliamentary Resolution on Small-scale Fisheries in the EU and future perspectives. LIFE is urging legislators to follow the recommendations of this resolution, and to take a differentiated approach to the management of small-scale and large-scale fisheries, as outlined in LIFE’s “Call to Action”. Small-scale fishing in Europe provides 50% of the jobs at sea and represents 70% of the vessel fleet. However, it represents only 6% of the EU catch, reflecting the low impact nature of the activity.

About Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE)

The Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) Platform is a Europe-wide platform of 32 member associations from 15 Member States, representing around 10.000 small-scale fishers committed to fishing in a low impact manner. LIFE works to unite small-scale fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities.

Support material:

LIFE website: https://lifeplatform.eu/ and LIFE’s “Call to Action”
Report produced with NGO Our Fish on recommendations on how article 17 could be applied.
Report produced by Vertigolab on the Methodological Considerations of an Allocation of Fishing Quotas based on Social and Environmental Criteria.

The European Parliament resolution on Article 17.
The European Parliament resolution on Small-scale Fisheries
LIFE’s statement on the implementation of the CFP https://lifeplatform.eu/wp- content/uploads/2021/11/LIFE-Statement-on-the-Implementation-of-the-Common-Fisheries-Policy- short.pdf

Press Contact: Barbara della Rovere Email: communications@lifeplatform.eu Phone number: +39 331 527 5240