On his return from a four-day visit to Spain, Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, in response to questions on the proposed European Fisheries Fund for the 2007-2013 periods, said that aid would be available for vessel modernization to upgrade safety, hygiene and living conditions on board.
However Mr. Borg ruled out a return to helping the building of new vessels, which had contributed to fleet overcapacity, and overfishing. On joint ventures, Dr Borg said that while they can have a role to play, their creation should not depend on public aid. He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to renewing existing fisheries agreements and to seeking to conclude new ones with countries, which saw mutual benefit in doing so.