168 organisations from 18 EU member states, most of whom represent small-scale fishing organisations, civil society organisations and NGOs, have signed a declaration which calls for those fishing in the most sustainable manner are granted priority access to fisheries.
The declaration was handed over to Commissioner Damanaki on Wednesday by representatives of artisanal fishers from the United Kingdom and Greece and OCEAN2012.
This followed on from a hearing in the Fisheries Committee in the European Parliament on “socio-economic viability and solutions for small-scale and coastal fisheries in the EU in the context of CFP reform”.