Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Danube and the Black Sea region: views for building forward better

Hosted by MEP Carmen AVRAM, SEArica Vice-Chair responsible for the Danube and the Black Sea, and co-organised by the Balkan and Black Sea Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR BBSC) and the International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS)

Thursday 22 April 2021 from 11:00 to 13:30 (CEST)

Please register HERE

The online conference, hosted and chaired by MEP Carmen AVRAM, will be divided in two sessions. The first one will address the challenges of the fisheries sector related to the pandemic, such as disruptions in supply chains for fish and aquatic foods caused by disturbances of transportation, trade, and labour. The second session will discuss opportunities and next steps for the post-COVID-19 era.

Fishing and aquaculture are among the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic of COVID-19, as demand for fisheries and seafood has been experiencing a dramatic downturn, due to preventative measures against COVID-19 that have led retailers, restaurants, and other large-scale buyers to reduce or temporarily close down their activities. Furthermore, sectors on which the fisheries and seafood industries depend on, such as logistics, have also been affected by the situation.

The fishing and aquaculture production sectors are extremely diverse, both freshwater and marine, and of significant socio-economic importance to the wider Black Sea region. The measures adopted to contain the COVID-19 outbreak at national and international level, have impacted directly or indirectly on the operations of the sectors, resulting in challenges but also opportunities for the next day.

The conference will aim at providing a dialogue platform amongst EU and national policy-makers and key regional stakeholders to encourage a debate that will allow for the better understanding of the challenges, as faced by stakeholders on the ground, and the different opportunities that derive from the various EU policies, strategies and initiatives in this diverse but with high potential region.

Please register HERE