Morocco, VAT, and EU restrictions define 2023 for Spanish fishing

The suspension of the agreement with Morocco, demands to reduce VAT on fish and restrictions derived from European Union regulations have been especially relevant for Spanish fishing in 2023. The fleet is ending a difficult and challenging year that has put its companies and workers in a delicate situation, due to the increase in costs, compared to the decrease in fish consumption, as those responsible for the shipowners and brotherhoods have told Efeagro. . “A complicated year” in which “what has frustrated the most is the environmental obsession of the European Commission (EC), which ignores fishermen and their families,” highlighted the general secretary of the Cepesca shipowners' association, Javier Garat. . “We start 2024 with problems that we carry over from other years, such as the generational change, which must be turned around,” said the president of the National Federation of Fishermen's Guilds (FNCP), Basilio Otero. The Spanish fishing sector has a turnover of 2,000 ...