The Balearics join other regions in calling on the EC to take action to safeguard the future of fish

The five Mediterranean autonomous communities are demanding urgent measures from the European Commission to ensure the future of the fishing sector.

The President of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, together with the Presidents of Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Region of Murcia, and Andalusia, have sent a joint letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for immediate and decisive action in response to the serious situation facing the Mediterranean fishing industry.

In the letter, the presidents of Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Region of Murcia, Andalusia, and the Balearic Islands warn that the continuous reduction in fishing opportunities resulting from the implementation of the Western Mediterranean demersal fisheries regulation is jeopardizing the economic and social viability of the sector, a sector largely made up of small family businesses and artisanal fleets rooted in coastal towns.

The regional leaders recall that, despite the measures adopted in recent years to ensure environmental sustainability, such as the reduction of fishing effort, biological closures, and improved gear selectivity, the viability of fishing guilds, fish markets, companies, and maritime workers has become unsustainable. The letter states that “time is running out,” urging the Commission to act before the situation becomes irreversible.

The signatory regions call on the European Commission to adopt extraordinary and flexible measures, as has been done in other times of crisis, to ensure the economic and social survival of the sector while long-term regulatory frameworks are reviewed. At the same time, they express their willingness to cooperate with the European Commission and Member States to achieve environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable fishing.

President Prohens emphasized that “the Balearic Islands fully share the concerns of the fishing sector and are calling on the European Commission to provide a swift, sensitive, and realistic response adapted to the circumstances of our Mediterranean fleet.”

The letter was signed by Salvador Illa i Roca, President of the Government of Catalonia; Carlos Mazón Guixot, President of the Valencian Government; Fernando López Miras, President of the Region of Murcia; Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of the Regional Government of Andalusia; and Margalida Prohens Rigo, President of the Government of the Balearic Islands.