New fishing law arrives 56 years on

The Ministry of Rural Development and Food has passed a new institutional framework for Greek fisheries, the first broad reform since the 1970 Fisheries Code — that is, 56 years later. The changes affect the organisation, monitoring and control of fishing activity: digital control systems, unified monitoring, product traceability, fewer procedures for professionals, a new penalty system and changes to how fishers are represented. The Secretary General for Rural Development and Food, Spyros Protopsaltis, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that “after 56 years we are making a comprehensive intervention centred on the professional fisher, transparency and the effectiveness of controls.”

The central tool is the Integrated Fisheries Monitoring System (OSPA), which is being expanded to bring together in a single digital environment the National Fisheries Register, fishing licences, the marketing and traceability of products, vessel records, the Register of Fisheries Violations, the Register of Fisheries Inspectors and aquaculture data, with the capacity to connect with the European Commission, other member states and regional organisations. At the same time, 17 separate licensing procedures are being abolished, while the 19 existing digital procedures are merged into 2 unified ones. Control authorities gain the power to intervene directly, such as halting activity, directing a vessel to a port for inspection, suspending a licence and seizing illegal gear.

The rules affect a sector with a strong presence in coastal and island areas: Greece has 11,457 registered fishing vessels, 94% of them under 12 metres in length, while more than 15,000 people are employed in the sector, according to figures announced by the ministry. Violations are now classified as minor, common and serious, replacing the previous regime under which even a minor administrative violation could lead to the suspension of fishing rights for at least ten days. Use of the vintzotrata net is banned, and it is being removed from professional licences and from the active gear listed in the National Fisheries Register; vessels that used it will continue operating with the rest of the gear on their licence. Representation is being reorganised into associations by gear type at municipal level, Federations at regional level and Confederations at national level.

The same law includes digital measures in other areas of agricultural production: a digital farmer’s card linking the Farmers’ Register with myAGRO/OSDE, the e-honey platform for honey traceability, and changes to the composition of the National Aquaculture Council. Mr Protopsaltis noted that the next step is to put these changes into practice, since the digital tools are meant to deliver simpler services, better information and more effective controls. The announcement does not specify exact start dates for the individual measures; the transition to the upgraded system remains the next stage for Greek fisheries.