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STRUAN Stevenson, Conservative MEP for Scotland and Senior Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee, scooped recognition as ‘MEP of the Year’ in the fisheries category at last night’s MEP Awards ceremony in Brussels.
The MEP Awards, sponsored annually by The Parliament Magazine, are handed out to members who have distinguished themselves in one of the 16 separate award categories covering everything from agriculture to trade.
At a ceremony in the Stanhope Hotel, Brussels, attended by over 500 people and presided over by European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, Struan Stevenson said: "I am deeply honoured by this award, which is as much a tribute to my great team of Kathryn Stack, Ben Acheson and Catriona Meehan, as to anything I have done.
“But in any case, we have much work to do. With Commission figures showing that we are still dumping 1.7 million tonnes of healthy fish, dead into our seas every year in Europe, that's 23% of all fish caught in the EU annually, the Common Fisheries Policy is clearly in need of a radical overhaul. Let us use the opportunity we now have, at the threshold of a major reform of the CFP, to create a sustainable fishery that will provide Europe with healthy fish stocks and healthy fishing communities for generations to come.
“This is our challenge, but it is a considerable honour to have been recognised in this way by my peers in the European Parliament."
The award citation, read out by Commissioner Šefčovič, stated that the award had been presented to Struan Stevenson in recognition of his "relentless quest for a comprehensive reform of the common fisheries policy to provide a sustainable future for fish stocks and for fishermen and their communities."
The 16 individual category winners emerged after a lengthy voting process in which all 736 MEPs are given the opportunity to vote on-line for the prize-winners in each category. Three shortlisted candidates are selected for each of the 16 categories by The Parliament Magazine, from nominations submitted by European trade and professional associations, interest groups and NGOs working in each sector.
Struan Stevenson was nominated by The European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD) and Client Earth. The Fisheries Category Award was sponsored by the Pew Environment Group.
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