Portugal seeks a balanced agreement to manage fishery stocks between the European Union, United Kingdom and Norway

At the Agrifish council held in Brussels on 26 September, the guidelines set to discuss the possibility of having shared stocks of fisheries between the United Kingdom, Norway and Coastal States for 2023.

Portugal advocated that these yearly consultations must be completed by the Council of December in order to offer the Union’s fisheries sector stability. It therefore considered that the Commission should undertake the necessary efforts to obtain positive and balanced agréments for European fishers in 2023. 

In the national priorities, Portugal will follow closely the bilateral consultations between the European Union and the United Kingdom, specifically with regard to deepsea species, which are of greater importance to the Autonomous Regions. 

Portugal underlined the need to improve the measures in force on vulnerable marine ecosystems, fostering greater engagement by the Administration, the fisheries sector and the steering boards, through transparent and continuous dialogue between all parties.

The status of the European eel stock was also discussed and the Member States, including Portugal, were unanimous that additional measures at European level need to be implemented to protect this stock. Please note that in Portugal, capturing elvers has been forbidden since 2000. 

Another subject discussed at the meeting was agricultural production and logistics in Ukraine and connections to the European Union, a meeting attended by the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solskyi. Portugal highlighted the need for solidarity and pragmatism at this critical moment.

As for the market, Portugal noted that the decisions on production on national soil are compromised by costs and the availability of production factors and climate conditions, where there is a prolonged drought, associated also with the uncertainty of prices at the time of harvest, with negative consequences on the feasibility and investment in farms. 

Portugal also noted the European Union’s responsibility towards humanitarian cooperation, namely with developing countries, particularly in Africa, with greater supply shortages, also noting the high prices of oil and gas, with an impact on the rise of prices of fertilizers and, as a consequence, on food prices, which increases the pressure on food security, namely in the most fragile economies.