Pinelopi Belekou Unit D1 – Fisheries Management Mediterranean and Black Sea

1. High Level Conference on Black Sea Fisheries and aquaculture(Sofia, Bulgaria, 6-7 June 2018)Sofia Ministerial Declaration Pinelopi Belekou Unit D1 – Fisheries Management Mediterranean and Black Sea DG MARE, European Commission Black Sea Advisory Council – General Assembly meeting 26th March 2018, Varna, Bulgaria

2. New dynamic of Black Sea fisheries governance • Bucharest Declaration (2016) – High Level Conference towards enhanced cooperation on Black fisheries and aquaculture • GFCM mid-term strategy for the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (2016) • GFCM Regional Plan of Action to combat IUU (2017) • Upcoming Sofia Ministerial Declaration (2018)– High Level Conference on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture

3. Bucharest declaration • Strong political engagement reached on common responsibility for sustainability of Black Sea fisheries. Need for: • Joint actions at multilateral level and cooperation • Improving data collection and scientific knowledge • Fighting against IUU fishing • GFCM - BlackSea4Fish project dedicated to BS scientific needs • GFCM High Level Conference on Black Sea in 2018 to take stock of the implementation of the Bucharest Declaration • Achievements – First GFCM Multiannual Management Plan on turbot is in place and a joint control and inspection pilot project is implemented with the assistance of EFCA

4. Towards Sofia Ministerial Declaration • A common multilateral declaration on the future of Black fisheries and aquaculture • Acts of concerted political ownership and governance • Set objectives and targets and requests specific actions, in line with the international legal framework, for flag, coastal, port and market States • Concrete targets and timelines, measurable deliverables, fully-fledged action plan, strategy for the Black Sea over the next 10 years • Based on the successful example of Malta MedFish4Ever Ministerial Declaration for the Mediterranean

5. Core Objectives • Improve level playing field for fisheries • Improve the situation for small-scale fisheries • Fight against IUU fishing • Have better data collection, scientific advice and conservation measures, new MAPs, to reverse the decline of stocks • Sustainable development of aquaculture activities • Help improve the situation in non EU countries with targeted capacity building/technical assistance actions

6. Overall Objectives • Address the impact of other human activities (e.g. pollution, marine transport) on living marine resources • Support direct and indirect employment in fishing industry • Offer possibilities for diversification in other blue economy activities • Boost synergies and complementarities

7. Commitments Enhance data collection and scientific evaluation • cover key Black Sea stocks by 2021 • common guidelines/working rules on data/stock assessments to ensure reproducibility (GFCM recommendation by 2019) • full implementation of BlackSea4Fish project, targeted activities to cover Black Sea data needs

8. Commitments Ecosystem-based fisheries management framework • implement by 2021 regional capacity plan • manage by 2021 key stocks with MAP, establish GFCM calendar with qualified objectives to set up MAPs • FRAs/MPAs for at least 10% of Black Sea by 2022, establish GFCM calendar in 2019, present proposals in 2020 • set by 2021 baseline rules for recreational fisheries • ensure protection of vulnerable species and sensitive habitats

9. Commitments Develop culture of compliance to fight IUU fishing • by 2021 have adequate legal framework and capabilities to ensure control • GFCM to help the implementation by countries of measures of the new regional plan of action to fight IUU • Develop pilot projects to then be permanent Joint Schemes of International Inspection • by 2019 establish at GFCM compliance indicators for IUU

10. Commitments Support sustainable small-scale fisheries and aquaculture • Implement GFCM regional plan of action for SSF to set up in 2018 - key issues: fisheries co-management, law impact techniques/fishing gears, social inclusion including role of women and young people in employment, valorisation of catches, diversification, contribution to environmental protection • implement new GFCM multi-annual strategy for aquaculture, ADCs in Black Sea

11. Commitments Greater solidarity and coordination • by 2019 GFCM permanent network for cooperation, technical assistance and implementation of Sofia Declaration • in 2019 GFCM work programme on spatial planning, pre-identification of priority areas • collaboration with regional organisations on environment/ /economic/social sustainability • Implement effectively the BlackSea4Fish project

12. EU towards sustainable BS fisheries • 2019 fishing opportunities for turbot and sprat in the Black Sea • Full implementation of the landing obligation • Full implementation of turbot MAP • Implementation of a pilot control and inspection scheme in the Black Seafor turbot fisheries • New multiannual management plans for other key stocks • 2018 commitments on turbot and piked dogfish, record all catches, market inspections and at sea, improve data collection, monitor discards of rapana whelk and piked dogfish, statistic monitoring of turbot imports/exports

13. Black Sea Advisory Council – Developments on fisheries governance • Active role towards regional and multilateral cooperation on conservation measures • MoU GFCM/BlSAC - cooperation on conservation of marine biodiversity in the Black Sea • BlSAC work programme in line with the multilateral dimension and governance • Close cooperation with COM, GFCM, EFCA, Scientific bodies, other AC (MEDAC), other riparian countries of the Black Sea

15. Thank you!