The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), together with Europêche and Cogeca, has sent a joint letter to Commissioner Costas Kadis following his request during the 5 November plenary meeting of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Fisheries.
In their common message, the Social Partners underline the need to complement the technical compensation measures foreseen in Article 8 of the Fishing Opportunities Regulation with additional socio-economic tools that recognise and support the contribution of fishers and fishing companies to sustainable fisheries.
The letter recalls that the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union commits the EU to ensuring a fair standard of living for fishers. For this reason, decisions on fishing opportunities cannot be reduced to a mathematical exercise. They must also take into account their wider social, economic and territorial impacts on crews, operators, and coastal communities across Europe.
To achieve this, the Social Partners propose inserting a new Article 8a in the Regulation. This new article would allow the introduction of socio-economic accompanying measures designed in a flexible and people-centred way. As indicated in the letter, such measures could include, for example:
additional compensation percentages for companies that voluntarily invest in training, safety, and skills development for their crews;
compensation for vessel owners and fishers paid on share who make onboard investments that improve working and living conditions or enhance crew safety, beyond what is already required by law.
These measures would work in parallel with technical ones, providing a mechanism through which compliant vessels could receive additional quota or fishing days. According to the Social Partners, such an integrated approach would help strengthen the resilience of the sector and support the ecological transition without neglecting the social and economic pillars of sustainability.