The European Commission (EC) will support Montenegro in raising its capacity to deal with all types of illegal fishing, it was announced at the international workshop on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that the workshops were organized by the Technical Assistance Instrument (TAIEX) and EC and that 29 delegates from Montenegro, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo participated.
"Montenegro will have the support of the EC in the field of fisheries, not only in terms of harmonizing with the EU's Common Fisheries Policy and increasing the competitiveness of the fishing sector, but also in terms of increasing capacity in dealing with common challenges such as all types of illegal fishing," the ministry said in a statement. .
The aim of the workshop was to familiarize the countries with the application of the European legislative framework and objectives when it comes to IUU fishing, as well as to intensify the cooperation of the countries in the fight against these challenges.
Director of the Fisheries Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Slavica Pavlović, assessed that illegal fishing in all Mediterranean countries, including Montenegro, is recognized as a serious challenge and problem that negatively affects the preservation and sustainable management of fish resources and the market for fishery products.
Pavlović reminded that in order to improve the control and fight against all types of illegal fishing in Montenegro, the Ministry formed a working group in June last year, whose members are representatives of all relevant state and scientific institutions, as well as representatives of the NGO sector and citizens' groups.
The primary task and goal of that working group is to create a broad front for a joint fight against illegal activities, and Pavlović said that she is satisfied that the activities so far have yielded positive results in suppressing these phenomena.
As stated, she thanked the representatives of the EC for their support in the process of meeting the criteria for chapter 13. Fisheries, and pointed out that the workshop is one of the important ways and technical support for Montenegro in raising the capacity for fishing control.
Pavlović added that Montenegro will continue to actively participate in all activities related to sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean, especially the Adriatic Sea.
The representative of the General Directorate for Fisheries of the EC Stylianos Mitolidis pointed out that the European Union acts in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which increasingly impoverishes the seas, destroys habitats and puts legal fishermen in an unequal position.
Mitolidis said that the EU strives to build close cooperation with all its neighbors in order to prevent all types of illegal fishing, and that the workshop will provide comprehensive training on the EU acquis in this area, as well as transfer the experiences of countries such as Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands. .
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