On March 17 and 18, a conference on “Possibilities offered by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to support social dialogue in fisheries and the improvement of living and working conditions” took place in The Hague. The event was held within the project Towards a true socially sustainable EU Fishery: the contribution of EU social partners. It was attended by representatives of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee members – ETF and Europeche, the European Commission’s DG Mare and Farnet, DG Employment and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The conference was chaired by Cor Blonk in his double role of host as Chair of the SSDC and Dutchman.  

The first day was dedicated to the presentation of the fund, its main objectives and priority axes and to the report on social policies through the MS programmes for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, which is expected to be completed and published in April. There was a round table and a debate on the lessons to be learned in view of the future financial instruments and their effective use. Criticism was expressed by the industry – both employers and trade unions, on the procedures for implementation. Many motions have been made, too. The FTTUB representative Mila Nikolova addressed the issue of possible zero catch quotas for the most important species in the Black Sea, stressed the likely impact on the fisheries sector in Bulgaria and called on the European Commission to develop options for action, including through EMFF.

On the second day, the information was expanded with the presentation on opportunities for interaction of EMFF with other funds. Mr. Gomes da Silva from Farnet (the network of fisheries areas to DG Mare) described the work of the Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs). He gave concrete examples from France, Spain and Ireland of FLAG’s socially oriented projects involving social partners. All of them have been successful thanks to the good cooperation of all stakeholders. It is this “participatory approach” that will be driven by new financial instruments, as proved to be the most fruitful for the community.

In conclusion, it was pointed out that the good tripartite cooperation at every level is crucial for the successful and effective use of public funds for the creation of quality employment and hence – for the attractiveness and the development of the fisheries sector, which is a common goal.