There is no sovereignty in territorial waters Even before the United Nations Convention of 1982, under which the Galician fleet was expelled from Boston or Canadian waters. So, in addition to bilateral agreements with countries such as Morocco and Mauritania, it is joint ventures and subsidiaries that enable the sector to operate in a significant part of the world’s fishing grounds. This notion of sovereignty is what Argentinian ultra-liberal Javier Milei proposed to abolish by auctioning off fishing and access permits, revoking decades of acquired rights to the fleet and plunging the country’s fishing industry into unequal competition with a large number of people. Asian ships. The strategy of bringing in dollars (officially making Argentina a symbol of “ideas of freedom”) took control of the continuity of 80 Galician-owned fishing vessels and more than 400 million euros of business. This checkmate was saved.
This Friday, after the loud protest in Mar del Plata and the full union of all employers and unions connected with fishing, the Milei Government – through Santiago Caputo and Minister Guillermo Francos – Sent reform proposal to parliamentary groups between decree This included changes in fisheries management. “The obligation to land in Argentina remains. It was announced that the tender system would not be international. The document, available to Faro de Vigo from the Prensa Ibérica group, states that the current requirements for local crews are maintained. extreme industry pressureinstrumentalized by all the governors of the coastal states (Buenos Aires, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego and Río Negro) and the opposition parties PRO (Republican Proposal), UCR (Radical Civil Unity) and We Make the Federal Coalition, He achieved his goal.
Attention
However, considering that this weekend will be intense in terms of negotiations, the sector prefers to remain cautious until new statements come. macro decree (Omnibus Law) is completely unofficial. “Congress halls are a wildfire, hellish news. “We may not have everything clear until next week,” said the manager of one of the country’s leading fishing companies. It is true that the governor of Chubut, Ignacio Torres, predicted hours ago that a consensus would be reached on the “reversal” of the Milei reform. “What worries you is that Argentina will not guarantee sovereignty over 200 miles of the sea “The issue of field tenders, the unloading of national labor in Argentine ports, we are discussing all these issues,” he said in the industry across the country.
“We do not have the numbers to solve the withholding tax problem”
But in the same virtual meeting, Torres also acknowledged: They had failed to persuade the government to withdraw yet another ultraliberal measure.: withholding tax increase. Today, fishery products are subject to duty of up to 9%, so those who create the most added value on land (processing factories) pay almost no customs duty. However, Milei put a single rate of 15% on the table; This meant costs of more than 50 million euros per year at the time of application (until 2026) for Galician capital companies alone. In the same document distributed among MPs yesterday, in which it was announced that the quotas will not be auctioned, Milei’s team promises zero withholding tax for regional economies. However, fisheries are not included in the list of products exempt from export taxes. This is relief, at least for now, to the forestry, flax, rice, dairy, feed or wine industries. “We can’t do it, we don’t have the numbers to reverse the withholding issue and the fight needs to be given from another side, this is the economy. We recommend a gradual reduction in added value. We propose to set a ceiling of less than 8 percent,” the governor of Chubut explained to representatives of fisheries, logistics and shipbuilding. Therefore, if the return of Milei is formalized by the deregulation of fisheries management, the tariff will be a challenge yet to be fought.
The success of “banderazo” in sector defense: “Citizens are becoming aware”
Approximately 600 people attended the “banderazo” yesterday, in which all employers and unions associated with fishing and maritime activities called against the Omnibus Law, which envisages the liberalization of fishing and the auctioning of permits to the highest bidder. The event took place between Avenida de los Trabajadores and 12 de Octubre. A shipowner’s representative summed it up to FARO: “It was a success, citizens are starting to realize what it means.”
“Decades ago, fishing in Argentina ceased to be a purely extractive activity and became a branch of the food industry,” said the manifesto given to passersby, mostly tourists, walking alongside the protesters. “A fleet of more than 800 vessels that perform everything from industrial to artisanal fishing, feeding numerous processing plants distributed along the entire coast, employing thousands of people and transforming raw material into a coveted food on international markets. “because of its quality,” he added.