Promotion and marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products on the menu at Madrid seminars

On 15, 16 April 2010 the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency are holding two seminars in Madrid on the marketing and supply of fishery and aquaculture products on the EU market, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to EC.

The first seminar on "Promotion of fishery and aquaculture products" will deal with the state of play of promotion, image, perception and communication in the EU. It will also examine the assessment of the actions supported by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), the adequacy of the current legal and financial framework and how to tackle promotion and communication issues in the future EFF. In addition, representatives of the sector will present their practical experiences on promotion and communication.

The second seminar on "Supply to the EU market of fishery and aquaculture products" will focus on the situation, trends and prospects of the supplies to the EU market, the conditions of access to the EU market and the assessment of the competitiveness of the EU sector in view of the increasing dependence on imports. The following topics will also be discussed: is innovation the way forward? Do the current EFF aids meet the needs of the sector? What kind of aids for the future?

Both seminars will gather around 110 operators from the fishing and aquaculture industry (from first sale to retail, including wholesalers, processors and distributors) and various NGOs, as well as representatives of the Member States, the Commission and the European Parliament, who will exchange views on how to improve promotion and supply aspects. Experts will present results of recent studies and industry players will share their experiences and reflexions in order to initiate a debate among participants. The events will be held at the Ministry for the Environment, Rural and Marine Environments situated in the Administrative complex "Nuevos Ministerios" in Madrid.