The Baltic network of the European Greens has issued a statement calling for NGO help in lobbying decision-makers and raising public awareness around marine issues.
The Baltic Green Network published its statement on Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Reform at a European Green Party (EGP) Council meeting in October.
In order to increase public awareness of marine issues, calls for greater cooperation and information sharing between NGOs and political parties were made. A number of policy demands for the forthcoming fisheries reform were also presented, which politicians from across Europe should be lobbied with.
The Greens called for:
- Environmental objectives to be prioritised and an ecosystem-based approach to be implemented
- Subsidiarity of decision-making
- Fair access to fish resources
- An end to subsidies that do not serve the public good
- Overcapacity to be addressed
This latest statement builds on the resolution passed at the 2009 EGP Council meeting, in which a comprehensive agenda for improving fisheries policy was agreed upon.