The PP Menorca demands the withdrawal of the proposal for new fishing restrictions

The PP of Menorca will present motions in the Island Council and in all the town councils of the island to defend the fishing sector and demand that the European Commission withdraw its proposal to reduce the annual fishing days by 79% and the catch limits for trawlers.

The general secretary of the party and senator for Menorca, Cristóbal Marqués, has pointed out that “the fishing sector plays a fundamental role in the economic, social and cultural fabric of Menorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands. Fishing is not only a livelihood for many families, but it also generates direct and indirect employment and contributes to a value chain that benefits sectors such as hospitality, marketing and logistics. We cannot allow this initiative to go ahead, which endangers the survival of the sector.”

In 2019, trawlers in the Balearic Islands had 240 days of fishing per year. In 2024, this was reduced by more than 40% to 130 days per year. And the reduction proposed for 2025 would mean that they would only have 27 days of fishing per year.

Marqués warns that “this reduction would mean a collapse of the social and economic structures of the sector: fishermen's guilds, fish markets, producer organisations, would be dragged into ruin.”

The PP reminds us that the Government of Marga Prohens has already conveyed its opposition to the EU and the minister Simonet is currently in Brussels to follow the negotiations in person, “from all the institutions governed by the PP we show a resounding rejection of this disproportionate measure”, adds the general secretary.

In the motion that the PP will present in the Menorcan institutions, the European Commission will be required to immediately withdraw this proposal. Likewise, it will be proposed to urge the Central Government to also position itself against the measure and to mobilise urgently to help reverse this situation. At the same time, the Popular Party has also promoted a similar initiative in the Senate, specifically in the Fisheries Commission, of which Cristóbal Marqués is a member.