10th Anniversary of Aquaculture Advisory Council & Market Advisory Council
On 10 June 2026, the Market Advisory Council and the Aquaculture Advisory Council held a conference to commemorate their 10th anniversary, bringing together EU institutions, international organisations, industry representatives, researchers and stakeholders from across the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and value chain.
In her opening remarks, our Chair, Yobana Bermúdez Rodríguez, called for the recognition of aquatic food for global food security, the promotion of a holistic value chain approach, a level playing field and fair market conditions, and political commitment to support generational renewal, skills development, and innovation.
In their keynote speeches, Costas Kadis (European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans) and Yiannos Kyriacou (Fisheries Counsellor, Cyprus) kindly acknowledged the importance of the Advisory Councils for inclusive dialogue and the relevance of their advice. In a special address, Manuel Barange (Assistant Director-General, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, FAO) shared insightful views on global policy developments and the EU’s position.
Our Vice-Chair, Christine Absil, moderated a roundtable with a retrospective perspective on our evolution and achievements. Stylianos Mitolidis (Director, DG MARE D, European Commission), Aurora de Blas Carbonero (Director General of Fisheries Management and Aquaculture, General Secretariat of Fisheries, Spain) and Mário Santos (Head of Unit – Mediterranean, Black Sea, Indian Ocean and South Atlantic, European Fisheries Control Agency) emphasised the pertinence of our advice for the European Commission, Member States, and EFCA, respectively. Our former Vice-Chair Sean O’Donoghue and the former AAC Chair Javier Ojeda provided an overview of the history of both Advisory Councils.
The AAC Vice-Chair Charlotte Epinay moderated a forward-looking roundtable on the future of sustainable aquaculture production and the market of fishery and aquaculture products. Delilah Al Khudhairy (Director, DG MARE A, European Commission), Richard Donnelly (Chief Executive Officer, Seafood Development Agency, Ireland) and shared insights from the European Commission and Ireland, respectively. Sébastien Metz (President, European Association of Fisheries Economists) and Maria Cozzolino (Senior Researcher, NISEA; independent expert in the STECF Aquaculture Working Group) shared their expert views on economic developments and consumer preferences.
