Statement by Maria DAMANAKI (Greece), Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, during her hearing at EP Committee on Fisheries in Strasbourg.

Brussels

Committee on Fisheries

hearing of Commissioners

DAMANÁKI, María (EL, EC)

2010 Commissioners' hearings (T)

hearing of Maria DAMANAKI (T)

Hearing of Maria DAMANAKI (Greece), Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: extracts

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/13882824/ebs67852Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Cutways arrival of Maria Damanaki,Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in Greek, greetings with Fisheries Committee Members, sitting,(6 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&#237;a DAMAN&#193;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "Europe has had a strong Fisheries policy for many decade indeed it is one of the few Common Policies it has, and it wants to develop the Maritime sector coherently and sustainably".

SOUNDBITE (English), Mar&#237;a DAMAN&#193;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "Sustainability i a keyword for my future proposals to you and to the Council"

SOUNDBITE (English), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "I believe that we can fish less and earn more".

SOUNDBITE (English), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "Fisheries are more than a source of food. For our Coastal areas fisheries represents security, culture and history, it is a way of life"

SOUNDBITE (English), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "We have to forge ahead with a concept of an integrated sea basin management to provide our sea regions with tailor made solutions"

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, (on new funds for fisheries), "And I believe that you will be my friends in this fight because there will be a fight, (in Greek), "Of course we need money, of course we need funds, in the debate that we will have on the new financial perspectives that will cover the next few years , I think that we will be able to rally behind this and get the money that we need"

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, (answering a question on a special policy for small scale fisheries) " we need a special policy for this, I don't have time to develop, but we will have a seperate policy for small vessels and this is a very important issue..."

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "In the future funding has to be more selective, more targeted , there is no point in continuing to fund the build&iacute;ng of new vessels like we did in the past".

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries,"If we have mixed fisheries , in other words non selective fishing that goes for more than one species, I think that curbing fishing efforts is the best possible way of dealing with this but if you only have one targeted species then we have to use those tools to help us deal with that and for some time we will have to stick with taxes and quotas"

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, "you yourself said we have to avoid macro management and I could not agreed more but you have also said that we can't have one size fits all systems, (in English) but we need tailor made solutions, tailor made solutions for special sea basins. I think it is possible to combine this without obligatory military rules but without going back to the level of micro management. I do feel that this will be a difficult journey and I hope that we will find the best possible solutions together".

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, (on data on overcapacity)" we have to try, we know we have 88000 vessels, we know what the main features are but we don't have specific data which are linked to what we call overcapacity. I have to be honest we often form a picture on overcapacity by using the available catches figures and that is why we need exposed analysis"

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Mar&iacute;a DAMAN&Aacute;KI, Commissioner designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, (on Poland's fisheries)"We have to look at the future of the Baltic sea, the future of the Baltic sea and of Polish fisheries depends on wether there are enough stocks so that fishermen can protect their livelyhood and earn a living"