Cyprus can be an example in terms of aquaculture, which should be developed throughout the EU, while the country is also expected to benefit from the Commission’s support for small-scale fisheries, the Cypriot Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, said in an interview with the Cyprus News Agency.

Kadis referred to the ongoing evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy and the effort to ensure competitiveness for European fisheries, noting that the proposals for possible revision will be presented towards the end of 2025 while also he referred to the fact that 70% of the fish consumed in the EU comes from imports.

He also referred to the Commission’s objectives to support small-scale fisheries, which would benefit Cyprus, but also to support aquaculture and fish farming where Cyprus is an excellent example of the steady growth and development.

The Commissioner spoke about the progress Cyprus has made in the delimitation of Natura sites, referring to progress made during his term as a minister, and said he believes that the Ministry of Agriculture has an understanding of what needs to be done.

He also explained the importance of the upcoming European Oceans Pact and of the practice of maritime spatial planning, to ensure that human activities operate in harmony and without negative consequences for the environment or degradation of the oceans.

Fisheries and aquaculture

Asked about the main priorities of his portfolio, especially regarding fisheries and the balancing of major interests with the needs of the fisheries sector, Kadis said that his work will be structured along two axes, the first of which concerns the evaluation and possible improvements to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

He noted that the CFP is “one of only five EU policies for which the European Commission has exclusive competence and not the member states”, and that 11 years have passed since its revision in 2013. “Certainly, important new challenges have emerged, which I am sure will be highlighted through the evaluation that is currently underway”, he said.

He added that next year, “through broad consultation” and “systematic evaluation” of all aspects of the CFP, he will seek “to present towards the end of 2025 our proposals for possible modifications, a possible revision” of the CFP. He stressed that “we want to build on the positive aspects” of the CFP, which he described as indisputable, but also “to correct any distortions” found during the evaluation.

The second pillar is connected to a feeling in the fisheries sector, which he has noted in meetings with MEPs and fishermen’s representatives, that it “is facing unfair competition from third countries”. “We want to see exactly how this phenomenon is being addressed” to ensure that “things work in a rational way and that our fishermen and aquaculture farmers are competing on an equal footing with their third-country counterparts,” he said.

Asked to explain how Cypriot fisheries and aquaculture fit into this debate, Commissioner Kadis said that this sector is also facing unfair competition in Cyprus, citing as an example that “our fishermen have very strongly pointed out that they cannot fish in 60% of the coastal areas of Cyprus”.

He added that across Europe, only 30% of the fish consumption needs are covered by European fisheries and aquaculture, and that “70% of the fish we consume in the European Union comes from imports” and that he will work on this in cooperation with the Trade Commissioner, among others.

He estimated that EU policies will also positively affect Cyprus as the Commission’s priorities include “supporting small-scale fisheries” which constitutes Cyprus’ fisheries “almost in its entirety”. He noted that “there will be synergies” with other Commissioners such as the Commissioner for Transport and the Executive Vice-President of the Commission for Cohesion, so that “we can support areas such as coastal areas, island regions, which of course includes Cyprus”.

Referring to aquaculture in general, which includes fish farming, Kadis noted that its development in Europe is “very high on the list of priorities” as “it will reduce the pressure on natural fish stocks”, but also because at a time when “only 30% of our needs are covered by domestic products”, “aquaculture contributes only 10%”.

“You understand that there is huge potential in the sector and we will invest in it,” he stressed, noting that “in Cyprus we have the excellent example of a steady increase in aquaculture, with very high-quality products” and that Cyprus can be used as a “successful example”.

“Globally aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector, while in the European Union it is stuck at 10%,” the Commissioner noted, partly due to “the public’s scepticism about aquaculture products”.

“I think that in Cyprus we have overcome this also because of the high quality of the products,” he noted. “One of the first actions we will promote in 2025 is a pan-European campaign on the importance and value and quality of aquaculture products in Europe,” he added.

Natura and Cyprus

Responding to a question in relation to EU media coverage about the Pentakomo waste processing plan, as well as infringement proceedings against Cyprus for the management of protected areas of the Natura 2000 network, as well as in relation to how he, as Commissioner, can contribute to Cyprus’ compliance, Kadis noted that “I would not like to comment, also in my new capacity. on the actions of the government of any state in an area that is not directly relevant to my own”.

However, he added, he believes that during his term as Minister for the Environment “perhaps the greatest progress was made since the period of the creation of the Natura 2000 network in Cyprus”.

“Eight new areas were added (to the list) including marine areas. So, what had to be incorporated was incorporated and to a large extent the network is considered complete, especially in terms of its structure,” he noted.

“What needs to be done, and indeed it was not done, but I repeat, there was too much that needed to be done, is to proceed with the proper management of these areas,” he added, expressing his confidence in the Minister of Agriculture and the competent agencies. He added that during his term as Minister, the Cypriot government obtained funding from a Life project worth 17 million euro “which was precisely aimed at the rational management of the Natura 2000 network”.

“I am sure that with the use of this project, but also with the supervision and management done by the Cypriot government, these issues will be settled in the best possible way,” he added, saying that the Commission is ready to support Cyprus also on issues of protection of the marine environment.

Ocean and marine health

Kadis also outlined his responsibilities regarding EU ocean policy, answering a question on the targets for marine biodiversity and how it affects Cyprus, as well as marine activities such as energy projects and drilling.

“The oceans, the seas in general, have been increasing in importance in the global political arena in recent years, and this has to do with the role of the oceans as a source of food, as a place for the movement of goods, ports, shipyards, sites for the installation of renewable energy infrastructure, countries linked to tourism and services,” Kadis noted.

Noting that “competition between all these activities for the occupation of maritime space is also increasing”, Costas Kadis stressed that “we need to see how these activities can work in harmony and without negative consequences for the environment because if the oceans are degraded, then many of these activities will collapse”.

The main objective of the Commission’s policy, he continued, is to bring all these policies “under the same umbrella”, which will be done “through the Ocean Pact which we hope to announce by the summer”. Consultations are ongoing with ministers, sector representatives and non-governmental organisations he noted.

“I think it will be a coherent framework through which the marine environment can be managed holistically,” he continued, estimating that the Pact, which will be presented this summer at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, can “serve as an example for other regions of the world”.

Further explaining what maritime spatial planning policy is about, and what is expected from Member States and specifically Cyprus, Kadis referred to a policy of utmost importance as the various maritime activities must “affect each other as little as possible”. As he noted, there are cases of combining more than one activity, as for example in France where wind farms are combined with aquaculture.

Different activities are planned in accordance with the EU’s Marine Spatial Planning Directive, something with which “so far the vast majority of member states have harmonised, including Cyprus”.

“During the next period the European Commission will assess whether the implementation of these plans is proceeding normally and in accordance with the plans which have been submitted and approved by the European Commission,” he noted.

As far as Cyprus is concerned, part of the puzzle also concerns transport and other aspects such as “the area where aquaculture will be developed, the area for energy infrastructure made in Vasilikos, the area where we will have our ports, fishing activities, even the protected areas where possibly other activities cannot take place or not all activities can take place”.

Asked how environmental sustainability is ensured and the marine environment is protected from energy and drilling-related plans, Kadis noted that it is taken into account, although “this activity is regulated by other legislation”.

“This is where the Oceans Pact comes in, to put everything under the same umbrella,” he noted, adding that “under this prism we can have a harmonious and beneficial coexistence for all activities” and that it would not be a solution to exclude from the marine space beneficial activities such as wind farms, connectivity or ports.

What is done in cases where certain activities can have a negative impact on a sector, for example when “through maritime spatial planning the fishing area is reduced”, a “compensation is given to fishermen to give them time to adapt to the new situation”, through the instruments of the CFP and the