© Aliénor 2025
At a high-level conference held at the European Parliament on 15 October, MEPs and industry experts called on EU policymakers to integrate mollusc aquaculture into the upcoming Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040.
The event, titled Food of the Future: the Shellfish Vision for 2040, was chaired by Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, MEP and vice-president of the Fisheries Committee. Organised by the EMPA, the discussion emphasised that shellfish farming is an essential tool for delivering on the European Ocean Pact’s goals.
Key arguments presented highlighted how the sector can:
- Deliver on the European Ocean Pact’s ambitions for healthy, low-impact food production.
- Strengthen Europe’s food autonomy by producing nutritious protein locally.
- Support coastal communities and jobs in line with the EU’s blue economy priorities.
- Provide vital ecosystem services, from improving water quality to enhancing marine biodiversity.
Addy Risseeuw, EMPA president, underlined the need for Europe to fully integrate shellfish into the European Commission’s Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040, making them a pillar of climate resilience and sustainable diets.
“Give shellfish producers a chance, and they’ll give Europe cleaner seas, better jobs and healthier food,” Risseeuw stated.
Raphaëla le Gouvello, IUCN expert and RespectOcean founder, further reinforced this message, stressing that mollusc farming is an ocean-positive activity and a natural fit for the regenerative blue economy. She referenced the definition adopted by the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025, which states: “The regenerative blue economy (RBE) is an economic model that combines rigorous and effective regeneration and protection of the ocean and marine and coastal ecosystems, with sustainable sea-linked and low-carbon economic activities, and fair prosperity for people and the planet, today and tomorrow”. Shellfish aquaculture can produce healthy food with lower carbon emissions.
The panel debate moderated by MEP Yon-Courtin featured contributions from Lorella De la Cruz, head of the aquaculture team at DG MARE, Lorenzo Gennari, president of the European Aquaculture Technology & Innovation Platform (EATIP), MEP Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral and MEP Nicolás González Casares.
Concluding the event, MEP Stéphanie Yon-Courtin reaffirmed the EU’s responsibility to recognise the strategic role of aquaculture in Europe’s food future.
“Tonight’s debate showed how shellfish farming can be at the heart of Europe’s sustainable and resilient food system and contributes to the development of our coastal regions. The shellfish farming sector, its professionals and all their products must not be left behind: they deserve a rightful place in the EU’s maritime and food policies,” Yon-Courtin asserted.
The message for Brussels was clear: Europe’s shellfish farmers stand ready to help build a sustainable, greener and more resilient food system for 2040 and beyond.
