The meeting is part of a two-day mission of Commissioner Kadis in Poland. The first day is a discussion with representatives of recognised fishery organisations at the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Gdynia. The second day will be an opportunity to visit the Port of Gdańsk and conduct further talks about the specific nature of the fishery industry in Poland.

– I am very grateful to the Commissioner for having chosen Poland as a country from which he can draw experience in the field of fishery. I believe that this visit will show the diversity of the Polish fishery sector. I hope that we will be able to continue our talks during further meetings of this type – said the Deputy Minister.

Jacek Czerniak pointed out that sea fishery, aquaculture and fish processing were extremely important areas for the whole European Union, the Baltic Sea countries and, naturally, for Poland and its local communities. Therefore, meetings with representatives of the sector are important.

The Commissioner confirmed that this was his first visit to Poland and certainly he would come there again. He also stressed the importance of discussions with recognised organisations representing the fishery community.

– Since the first day I took office, I repeated many times and I still repeat that I want to work with you in the field, close to the industry, so as to obtain direct information about the challenges from you. What your ideas and suggestions are. That is why I am here with you today – stressed Commissioner Costas Kadis.

The representatives of recognised fishery organisations who attended today’s meeting with the Commissioner and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture indicated that they were interested in measures and decisions that would affect their future.

At the meeting, very important topics were raised, including those on which the Council of the EU would soon decide – namely, on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea in 2026. Fishermen in particular indicated the differences between ICES scientific advice and the Commission’s proposal.

– The fishermen’s expectations are understandable. Catch quotas will, in fact, shape their economic situation in the coming year and they certainly hope that today’s discussion will allow the Commissioner to revise the existing proposal – noted Deputy Minister Czerniak.

 

The discussion also raised issues related to the need to revise the conservation measures for porpoise and the impact of those measures on small-scale fishery from the Bay of Pomerania. The Polish Presidency pointed to the consequences of the cormorant population’s impact on the conduct of fishery economy during the conference dedicated to that issue. The growing cormorant population requires taking coordinated measures at EU level so as to establish a management plan for that population.

The thematic scope of the meeting was very extensive. The discussions concerned both the Multiannual Financial Framework for for the years 2028–2034 in the field of fishery and the technical aspects of fishery.

All the participants in today’s meeting unanimously emphasised that such talks were an important element of shaping the EU’s fishery policy, as they provided an opportunity to present the specific nature of the fishery community, ideas for development and expectations for the future.