• The President of CEPES, Juan Antonio Pedreño, reports that "as a Spanish employer in the Social Economy, we support our partner organizations in the sea and request that such an important Order be provided for the fishing sector, but also for consumption and distribution , is carried out after a thorough debate and with the consensus between all the parties ”.
• The Order is opposed by the fishing sector in France, Italy and Spain and radically changes the management of trawling and, in our country, it affects almost 600 vessels and their crews, and numerous fishing ports.
• The fishing sector is currently experiencing a difficult situation, now aggravated by the Covid-19 crisis, in which it has maintained activity to be able to supply fishery products to the population, at a highly critical moment.
• Their situation has been aggravated in the extreme in the Mediterranean fishing ground, where almost 75% of the fleet has come to be paralyzed due to the fall in demand for our products, as well as the collapse of the “Horeca” channel. .
Madrid, May 3, 2020 .- The Spanish Business Confederation of the Social Economy (CEPES) supports the requests made by its two partner entities in the fishing sector - National Federation of Fishermen's Associations (FNCP) and National Union of Cooperatives of the Sea of Spain (UNACOMAR) - unanimously supported by the entire fishing sector together, so that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food postpones and reconsiders the Mediterranean fisheries management plan.
Through a statement , the fishing sector, greatly affected by the Covid-19 crisis due to the stoppage of activity and the drop in sales, stresses that the Multi-annual Plan for fishing approved in Europe "radically changes the management of fishing "and" affects almost 600 vessels and their crews, and many fishing ports ", while reducing the number of catches and the supply of fresh fish for the population.
The fishing sector is currently experiencing a difficult situation, aggravated by the Covid-19 crisis , in which it has maintained activity to be able to supply fishery products to the population, at an extremely difficult time. This situation has been aggravated in the extreme in the fishing ground of the Mediterranean, where almost 75% of the fleet has come to be paralyzed due to the fall in demand for our products, as well as the collapse of the “Horeca” channel, which is the one that has a majority presence in our trading centers, and through which the vast majority of our products are traded. This, together with the pandemic, has caused a paralysis of fishing in a significant percentage.
We hope that in the meetings scheduled this week between the Government, the Autonomous Communities and the representative Organizations of the sector, CEPESCA, the Spanish Federation of Fishermen's Associations and the National Union of Sea Cooperatives, this situation will be clarified and redirected and they will have the support to that the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food temporarily paralyze the procedure of the aforementioned norm until it returns to normal.
Support of the Social Economy
"For all these reasons stated, from CEPES, as the Spanish employer of the Social Economy, we support and recognize the role played by our partners in the sea - the National Federation of Fishermen's Associations (FNCP) and the National Union of Cooperatives of the Sea of Spain (UNACOMAR) -. Both not only have an important weight in the fishing sector, butthat in these difficult times caused by COVID19, they are showing an exemplary role. That is why we request that such an important Order for the fishing sector, but also for consumption and distribution, be carried out after a thorough debate and with the consensus of all parties, "said CEPES President Juan Antonio Pedreño .
The 133 fishermen's brotherhoods and the 200 Sea Cooperatives established throughout the Spanish coast are the Social Economy organizations representative of the fishing sector. They have more than 10,000 boats , bill more than 460 million euros and employ 35,000 people .
