Pictured: A French fishing boat returns to harbour.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
In a recent public hearing organized by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Tim Heddema, Vice-President of Europêche, emphasized the critical role of fisheries in the EU's vision for the oceans.
Speaking on behalf of the sector, Heddema urged the European Union to place fisheries at the center of its upcoming European Oceans Pact, a policy initiative led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, due to be finalised during the spring.
The European Oceans Pact aims to promote a holistic and integrated approach to ocean-related policies in the EU. Key objectives include ensuring a healthy, resilient, and productive ocean, advancing a sustainable blue economy - including fisheries and aquaculture - and fostering marine research, innovation, and investment.
The European Commission recently launched a call for evidence from stakeholders to help shape the pact, which will be presented at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
In a public hearing held on XXX, Heddema underlined the fishing sector’s vital contributions to EU food sovereignty, healthy diets, coastal community livelihoods, and marine ecosystem stewardship. He highlighted the EU fleet’s significant progress in sustainability, noting that it has already reduced emissions by 52% and continues to innovate with energy-efficient engines and advanced fishing technologies.
“EU fisheries are a low-carbon, renewable source of protein, yet Europe imports 70% of its seafood,” Heddema stated, as reported in a Europêche press announcement this week.
"The Oceans Pact must close this production gap, prioritize EU food production and self-sufficiency, while ensuring that imported seafood meets the same high sustainability standards as EU products," he added.
The Europêche representative also drew attention to challenges faced by coastal and fishing communities, including the impacts of COVID-19, Brexit, rising energy costs, and increasing regulatory pressures. He called for policies that support generational renewal, reduce bureaucracy, and promote the sector as a modern, sustainable, and attractive career choice.
Maritime spatial planning was highlighted as another priority for the European Oceans Pact. Europêche advocated for inclusive planning processes that balance the needs of fisheries with other maritime sectors, ensuring traditional fishing grounds are protected while industrial developments, such as offshore wind farms, do not cause undue harm to communities or ecosystems.
Ocean health and science-based management were also central to Heddema’s vision for the Pact. He emphasized the fishing sector’s contributions to marine data collection and called for stronger support for scientific organizations to advance ecosystem-based approaches. Initiatives like fishing-for-litter schemes were praised for demonstrating the role fishers can play in ocean conservation and the circular economy.
Heddema also urged the EU to lead global efforts to address marine pollution, including the development of a comprehensive global plastics treaty. He emphasized the importance of stronger ocean governance and diplomacy, calling for sustainable fishing agreements with third countries, the elimination of harmful fisheries subsidies, and intensified action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Heddema also called for enhanced maritime security to protect critical infrastructure and trade routes from emerging threats.
However, Heddema warned that inadequate financial support risks undermining the Pact’s ambitions. In Europeche's view, the current European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) is insufficient to drive the necessary investments in innovation, decarbonization, and competitiveness. A recent €105 million budget cut for 2025–2027, Heddema argued, could jeopardize progress.
“As the EU shapes its Oceans Pact, it must prioritize this vital sector — one that has sustainably harnessed our seas for centuries, supports coastal communities, and provides healthy, nutritious food to citizens across Europe,” Heddema said.