In his keynote speech, Mr Borg pointed to the open nature of the consultation with a number of broad aims on which the Commission believed there was general consensus.
These included the need for the policy to move towards a longer-term policy approach in which environmental sustainability was a pre-condition for economic and social sustainability; the need for a simpler and less costly policy; the need for fisheries activities to link with others, such as coastal development and climate change mitigation; and the opportunity for the industry to engage in greater "self-management" and, in working to build sustainable fisheries, to draw on two powerful allies: the market and European consumers.
Initial reaction to the Green Paper from governments, the media and the general public had been good, and the Commission said it looked forward to reading many more views on the future of Europe's fisheries during the consultation period.
