DG MARE Brussels

Big fishes in Brussels – Or the relation of fish [fIʃ] and fiche [fIʃ]

There are fruitful stages in life. Being a stagiaire in the protected area of the EU Commission in Brussels is one of them. Four months ago I was recruited to DG MARE, Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Brussels, the nursery of regulation; Brussels, the town of white collars, this special species whose Latin name I do not know. It is just too multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic to be determined by one single name. Brussels, the mysterious social planner the investigation of which is the purpose of my mission. Who and what are the components of this social planner, the very Brussels, what is its 'mantra' and what does it think about the science-policy interface?
The mission of MARE is to bring forward both the development of the Integrated Maritime Policy and to manage the Common Fisheries Policy. This is done in close cooperation with stakeholders.
The goal of the Integrated Maritime Policy is to realise the economic potential of the oceans and seas in accordance with the sustainable development of maritime activities. A common language between sectors and an overall approach are basic essentials for this undertaking.
Fisheries and aquaculture are managed under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This policy strives to attain a sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources. Moreover, it aims to ensure legal compliance, better governance and market stability.
Through my stage at the EU Commission, I have had, in general, the opportunity to complement my knowledge of the objectives and goals of EU policies, procedures and activities. In practice, it has given me the chance 'to fillet' the relationship between science and policy in the context of the Integrated Maritime Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy and to put into practice skills acquired during my PhD studies. It has supported me in my endeavour to approach the questions how science is taken on board in policy making and how and where to generate close(r) ties between these areas to spawn sustainable policies. Besides that, I have gained practical experience in inter-disciplinary work via the MARE policies and cooperation with my colleagues. Not only did I join the Commission team at the Brussels half-marathon, but I have also participated in marathon-like sequences of meetings. Thereby, I have got to know not only the age structure at MARE which is fairly equally distributed and to notice that the female proportion seems sustainable, but I have also seen the broad network of people and sectors involved.
I have to admit that I got lost more than once in 'Brussels'. In the beginning, I was quite often asking myself "what are they talking about?" What does "you will find the fish on the net" mean? On the net, shouldn't our efforts rather lean towards fish in the net? Yes, it took me a while to recognise what appears to be a small thing but is in fact a big difference between fish [fIʃ] and fiche [fIʃ] and after that I was actually able to contribute effectively to the activities of my unit for Maritime Policy in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and landlocked countries.
What will I have in the net going home to Kiel? The working environment in DG MARE and especially in my unit has certainly impacted my habits and preferences to the best advantage and the gained knowledge will definitely never be discarded. I have been able to forestall some 'closures' and I hope I will succeed in taking along as much as possible of this resource rent to tackle the gap between science and policy. However, there is one thing I could not find out, that is if they actually serve sustainable fish at all these numerous receptions. For this I just did not have the overcapacity.
NB: The author conducts research on fisheries management integrating stage-structured fish populations.