Joe Borg, EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, was granted the Kungsfenan Swedish Seafood Award recently.
This prize is awarded every year in recognition of important achievements in sustainable fisheries and gastronomy. Mr Borg receives the prize for his vital work, over the past five years, to put EU fisheries on a sustainable footing.
Commissioner Borg said: "I am extremely honoured to have been nominated for this prestigious award. Placing sustainability at the heart of our approach to fisheries in order to guarantee a viable future for our fishermen and the marine resources they harvest is essential. I am pleased to say that we have already made considerable headway in this endeavour but there remains much to be done. We are fortunate enough to have the tools in place to help us do this, be it through the Integrated Maritime Policy which focuses on the further sustainable economic development of our seas and coastal regions, or the Common Fisheries Policy, a reform process for which was launched earlier this year. Under the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, we will be looking to ensure that an ecosystem approach forms the basis of our policy-making whereby Europe's fishing capacity is brought in line with the long-term sustainable exploitation of fishing resources."
Alongside Commissioner Borg, the Namibian Fisheries and Natural Resources Minister, Dr Abraham Iyambo, is to receive the 2009 Kungsfenan award in the sustainable fishing category for his work in developing the sustainable administration of Namibia's fishing resources. With respect to Commissioner Borg, the board has praised Dr Borg for being able to " handle short term interests in relation to more long term ones with great personal integrity" and have characterised his work as having " enormous potential to create a trustworthy, sustainable fishing policy".
