On December 7, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Vitalii Holovnia took part in the 7th meeting of the EU-Ukraine Subcommittee on Economic and Sectoral Cooperation. The discussion was focused on Cluster 5 – Agriculture and Rural Development, Fisheries and Maritime Policy, Danube Region, Transboundary and Regional Cooperation.

Fisheries is an important element of food security of Ukraine and the world as a whole. Its development, through the creation of effective mechanisms for conservation, rational use of aquatic bioresources and aquaculture development, is one of the priorities of state policy.

In his speech, Vitalii Holovnia outlined details of the fisheries sector reform, in particular legislative and regulatory changes, and identified the main priorities of maritime policy in Ukraine.

Currently, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food is working on a number of regulations aimed at improving the mechanisms of management of aquatic bioresources, ensuring their conservation and rational use, improving the quality and efficiency of fisheries control systems and combating illegal, unaccountable and unregulated fishing, creating equal conditions for access to the exploitation of aquatic bioresources, ensuring the development of aquaculture, regulating the implementation of amateur and sport fishing, etc.

“The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food continues to work on the adaptation of fisheries policy to EU standards, as well as on its improvement in general. Right now, together with EU experts, we are creating a draft State Strategy for the development of the fisheries sector up to 2030. The document will define strategic goals and indicators for solving economic, environmental and social problems of the industry, as well as ways of development,” said Vitalii Holovnia.

He also added that the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal Fishing is already at the final stage of consideration.

Besides, the Deputy Minister emphasized the negative consequences of the russian invasion for inland waters, marine environment and coastal areas in the Black Sea. Moreover, due to mining and pollution of the water area it is currently impossible to carry out fishery activities and research.