Demetriou seeks stronger EU support for Cypriot fishermen

Nicosia, Cyprus. House speaker Annita Demetriou called for stronger support for Cypriot fishermen during a meeting on Friday with European Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis. She said the forthcoming EU policy review should include more specific measures for the sector.

EU policy review

Demetriou stressed the importance of regularly informing parliament about the effects of European fisheries policy on Cyprus.

Kadis said the European Commission had completed its evaluation of the common fisheries policy and, based on feedback from member states, expected to conduct a targeted review in the next period.

He said his portfolio was particularly significant for the bloc, describing the EU as a maritime union with the world’s largest exclusive economic zone and a coastline exceeding 70,000 kilometres.

Pressures on the sector

Demetriou said fisheries and aquaculture were strategically important for Cyprus as an island state in the Levant.

“The multiple pressures that the sector is experiencing make the need for substantial, effective and targeted European support imperative,” she said.

The meeting followed a call last month by several fishing associations for a 10-year national plan to address declining fish stocks, which they said had brought the industry close to collapse.

The associations called for more thorough implementation of the EU common fisheries policy, including priority access to coastal waters for small-scale fishermen, stronger monitoring of illegal fishing and easier access to funding.

Government measures

Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis said the government had modernised about 80 fishing vessels since April 2024 and introduced grant schemes covering up to 100 per cent of eligible costs for small-scale coastal fishermen.

He said compensation for damage to catches caused by dolphins had totalled €1 million since last year, with overall support expected to reach €4 million by 2029. A separate payment scheme has also been introduced for the removal of invasive lionfish.