Brussels Reporter
  • Home
  • Brussels
  • Europe
    • Europe

      Merkel era may only just be beginning

      January 16, 2021

      Europe

      Brazil’s Amazon region suffers deadly lack of oxygen…

      January 16, 2021January 16, 2021

      Europe

      Trump administration oversees unprecedented number of executions

      January 16, 2021January 16, 2021

      Europe

      ‘Outrage’: Row after pro-Brexit group moves its website…

      January 15, 2021January 15, 2021

      Europe

      Coronavirus: COVID-19 infections and deaths – latest data

      January 15, 2021January 16, 2021

  • Globe
  • Lifestyle
  • Business

Brussels Reporter

  • Home
  • Brussels
  • Europe
    • Europe

      Merkel era may only just be beginning

      January 16, 2021

      Europe

      Brazil’s Amazon region suffers deadly lack of oxygen…

      January 16, 2021January 16, 2021

      Europe

      Trump administration oversees unprecedented number of executions

      January 16, 2021January 16, 2021

      Europe

      ‘Outrage’: Row after pro-Brexit group moves its website…

      January 15, 2021January 15, 2021

      Europe

      Coronavirus: COVID-19 infections and deaths – latest data

      January 15, 2021January 16, 2021

  • Globe
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
Home Lifestyle Electric pulse fishing : Putting to the test a democratic and Green Europe
LifestyleOpinions

Electric pulse fishing : Putting to the test a democratic and Green Europe

by editor January 20, 2019
January 20, 2019

French NGO Bloom has just revealed that the European Commission has allocated at least 21.5 million euro in subsidies to Dutch trawlers. The revelations throw a spotlight on what is at stake, both democratically and ecologically, for Europe.

Zoé Durand for VoxEurop

Despite its rather technical nature, electric pulse fishing has been in the spotlight with increasing frequency due to the particular sensitivity of the topic. The environment, democracy, worker protection (fishermen in this case)… this controversial fishing technique draws in all the burning questions of the day.

The Bloom association also has a stake in the matter. They take to the media to publicise their long battle against electric fishing, and inveigh against both the Netherlands and European institutions. At the start of November, Bloom denounced the illegal subsidies allocated to trawlers practicing the method deemed controversial by scientists.

The history of electric fishing in the European Union begins in 1998, when it was banned. Everything changed in 2006, when a regulation on December 21 introduced derogations to the ban, in order to test the technique for experimental purposes. Derogations may be granted to a maximum of 5% of the fleet of each member state. This involves only those fleets operating in the North Sea.

More recently, on November 21 2017, the European parliament’s PECH committee voted 23 against 3 in favour of developing this practice.

A few weeks later, the European Parliament held a vote on the matter during its plenary session: on January 16 2018, a clear majority (402 against 232) chose an absolute ban on the practice. That same day, the Dutch MEPs voted near-unanimously against the ban. Only Anja Hazekamp, member of the Party for Animals, supported the ban. While other countries also had majorities opposed to the ban, only the Netherlands reached such unity, involving all parties, greens included.

This voting pattern is hardly a coincidence, and would seem to suggest that the Netherlands are the principal lobbyists for electrofishing. However, fishing represents a rather modest proportion of the Dutch economy, judging by its agricultural revenue, including revenue from fishing. Still, in 2017 it reached 1.86% of GDP, a higher proportion than that of their neighbours: 0.51% in the UK, 1.14% in Denmark, 1.10% in Sweden, and 1.51% in France. Elsewhere, the Netherlands faces stiff competition from its neighbours in the North Sea, and takes no place on the podium for Europe’s largest fishery producers.

Electric fishing is a fast way to catch more fish, and for this reason fishing countries such as France and the UK oppose the practice, in order to protect their maritime workers who don’t have access to these techniques.

For the Bloom association, the problem doesn’t end there: democracy itself is also at stake. Since the vote back in January 2018, derogations granted to Dutch trawlers have not stopped. Discussions are set continue concerning the future of electric fishing.

Furthermore, following an analysis of subsidies allocated to Dutch fishermen, the NGO claims to have discovered irregularities. Back in October 2017, Bloom had already condemned irregularities in licences granted to trawlers for the practice of electric fishing. They discovered that 70 out of 84 licences were illegal, because they passed the 5% limit per fleet of each member state.

What is new is that Bloom has revealed that all of these 84 trawlers have benefitted from European fishing subsidies. In total, 21.5 million euro of public funds have been unduly allocated to Dutch fishermen, for the development of electric fishing. To be precise: 14.3 million euro were allocated between 2008 and 2016, then 6.5 million starting in 2017. In addition, 2.7 million in subsidies were specifically allocated for otter trawling, which is not included in the derogation regime of 2006.

For its part, the European Commission, contacted by VoxEurop, denies the accusations of illegal subsidies. However, according to a source close to the institution, it is currently obtaining information on the Dutch authorisation process. The Commission therefore defers to the State, sole authority for granting contested licences. It has, nevertheless, allocated 5 million euro to trawlers which practice electric fishing, but for projects which do not involve the practice, and 4.3 million into research projects intended for its development.

It is now more than likely that the business of electric fishing will continue to arouse tensions for a good while yet.

Translated by Ciaran Lawless


This article is published in association with the European Data Journalism Network.

Factual or translation error? Tell us.

Source link

previous post
Shared transport is all the rage as Billy Bike opens up to all
next post
Crèche killer De Gelder heads for psychiatric internment

Related Posts

Hunchbag | VoxEurop (English)

April 19, 2019

Poland, history, and the refugee crisis: Warsaw’s response...

January 20, 2019

Social media: Facebook’s expanding lobbying in Brussels

January 18, 2019

The Messiah | VoxEurop (English)

March 7, 2019

Reforming the EU: ‘We, European citizens from different...

January 15, 2019

Let’s vote for those who want to build...

May 21, 2019

Genetics: Europeans, we’re all kissing cousins

January 17, 2019

Democracy in Hungary: First signs of waning support...

February 17, 2019

David and Goliatha | VoxEurop (English)

May 16, 2019

Space Exploration: Bouncing | VoxEurop.eu: European news, cartoons...

January 16, 2019
Promotion Image

Recent Posts

  • Merkel era may only just be beginning
  • Brazil’s Amazon region suffers deadly lack of oxygen supplies amid COVID pandemic
  • Uganda: Veteran leader Yoweri Museveni declared election winner
  • Coronavirus vaccine: India begins world’s biggest drive
  • Trump administration oversees unprecedented number of executions
Promotion Image

GO!

Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

Lifestyle

  • Keeping the country in Europe cost Syriza power

  • The populist surge that did not happen

  • Can Europe avoid the coming crisis?

  • Green country went even greener

  • The Social democrats’ comeback

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Beware of scammING. Dirty money of famous bank

    October 6, 2020
  • 2

    The death of the city

    July 27, 2020
  • 3

    UK ends quarantine-free travel in fight against new coronavirus variants

    January 15, 2021

Editor’s Choices

  • Can Europe avoid the coming crisis?

    August 26, 2019
  • Avoiding a repeat performance of the financial crisis

    July 14, 2019
  • The EU’s next big challenge

    June 11, 2019

Opinions

  • Keeping the country in Europe cost Syriza power

    August 28, 2019
  • The populist surge that did not happen

    August 27, 2019
  • Can Europe avoid the coming crisis?

    August 26, 2019

@2018-2020 - Brussels Reporter (www.brusselsreporter.com). All Right Reserved.