Bilateral meeting with H. E. Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans of the European Union

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met today with H. E. Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans of the European Union (EU) at FAO headquarters.

The Director-General welcomed Commissioner Kadis to FAO and congratulated him on his recent appointment. He recalled the fruitful collaboration with the EU on key issues such as for the control of the outbreak of desert locusts between 2019 and 2022, among others.

The Commissioner outlined key areas for collaboration with FAO within his portfolio and referred in particular to the ‘’European Oceans Pact’’ initiative, which aims to set out a vision for a holistic approach to ocean-related policies. He indicated that, following a period of consultation, this initiative would inform the EU’s approach to the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France, in June this year. In this regard, the pair agreed on the need for such an approach due to the many interlinkages between these policies and related policies on transport and tourism.

The Director-General referred to FAO’s related work in fisheries, including through the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and the Agreement on Port State Measures. Furthermore, he emphasized the need for greater development of the aquaculture sector as a complementary source of productivity to cope with increasing demand worldwide due to high feed conversion efficiency and the reduction of fishing, allowing wild fish stocks to recover. He outlined the need for public awareness on the good taste, high quality and nutritional value of aquaculture products.

The Commissioner agreed, and further referred to the conservation of fish stocks that included the regulation of fishing, highlighting it was a priority for the EU.

The pair agreed to continue to collaborate further on fisheries and aquaculture matters, including crosscutting issues such as biodiversity and the environment. The Director-General concluded by expressing his appreciation for Commissioner Kadis’ expertise and experience and looked forward to future collaboration.