Maria Damanaki News

The European Commission proposed a ban on imports of fish from Sri Lanka for not tackling illegal fishing properly and lifted a ban on fish imports from Belize following the reform of its vessel inspection practices. The Commission on Tuesday also lifted warnings on Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, saying they had implemented concrete measures to combat illegal fishing. The four countries thus avoided being placed on the "red list" of nations that are not allowed to sell fish to the 28-nation European Union, the world's biggest fish importer. "Our policy of resolute cooperation is yielding results," EU Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki said in a statement. "Five countries receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing.

Better cooperation between countries in the Adriatic and Ionian regions is needed to address shared challenges and better exploit joint opportunities, the EU Fisheries department said today in a statement. The strategy was officially launched in June 2014 to help facilitate this coordination while also helping the regions' 70 million citizens to benefit from a boost in the maritime economy, the preservation of the marine environment, stronger transport and energy links and increased tourism. The Strategy will also provide a valuable opportunity for non EU-countries to work alongside EU members, in particular contributing to the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union.

The European Commission informs it has taken a further step towards more effective and cost-efficient surveillance of European Seas. By bringing together surveillance data from civil and military authorities duplication of work can be avoided and savings of up to €400 million per year may be made. Increased cooperation and sharing of data would help cope more efficiently with real time events at sea such as accidents, pollution incidents, crime or security threats. CISE, the Common Information Sharing Environment for the maritime domain, aims at making all the relevant actors come together and share data. CISE is one of the building blocks of the recently adopted European Maritime Security Strategy.

The recently signed "Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation" concerns research into the workings of the Atlantic Ocean and its interaction with the Arctic. The alliance will build on existing bilateral cooperation agreements and projects with the aim of developing and advancing a shared vision for the Atlantic. For the European Union, the Statement was signed by European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki. For the United States the Statement was signed by Dr Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, and Dominique Ristori, director general of the JRC, signed the agreement, which calls for exchanges of personnel, shared use of scientific infrastructure, support for joint research, access to laboratory facilities, scientific training and timely exchange of information. “Today’s global challenges must be met by increased international cooperation that addresses climate, weather, oceans and coasts – issues that impact everyone around the world,” Lubchenco said. The signing was part of a trip to Brussels by…