10 July 2008
European Union The European Commission said Tuesday it aimed to release up to 600 million Euros (940 million dollars) in aid to EU fishermen to help them cope with soaring fuel prices.
The European Union’s executive arm said that the funds were part of a package of emergency measures to encourage restructuring of segments of fishing fleets hardest hit by the current fuel crisis.
The new money only became available after European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso insisted in the face of reluctance from some commissioners to lift subsidies.
However, after protests against fuel prices in southern Europe, he was encouraged by countries such as France, whose fishing sector has long complained that its cries for help fall on deaf ears in Brussels.
The package, which the commission first outlined in June, is to be financed in part by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), which has a budget of 4.3 billion Euros for the period from 2007 to 2013.
“In addition to the EFF, the commission has pledged up to another 600 million Euros to fund this temporary specific action to help the fishing industry to adapt to high fuel prices,†it said in a statement.
The package would raise the amount of public aid allowed in the sector from 30,000 Euros per operation over three years currently to 100,000 Euros, as urged by France and Italy.
The commission also pledged to consider emergency aid to help fishermen who refrain from going out to sea during a maximum period of three months, as long as it is part of a restructuring.
The EU executive also plans greater flexibility in using the European Fisheries Fund and allowing early retirement aid on a broader basis.
The package also foresees aid for investments in equipment such as boat motors that are more fuel efficient and helping fishermen get higher prices for what they catch.
“High fuel prices and chronic overcapacity mean that European fisheries are in a time of crisis,†EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said. “The commission recognizes the need to help the sector adjust to the new realities.â€
The measures still have to be approved by EU fisheries ministers, who are due to discuss them later this month.
The commission said that fuel prices for fishing boats had soared 240 percent since 2002 putting severe pressure on a sector already struggling to cope with overcapacity and dwindling fish stocks.
“The action the commission is proposing rests on three main principles: that we must focus aid on reducing overcapacity, on reducing fuel dependency, and on market measures which can help fishermen raise the first-sale value of their fish,†Borg said. “Only in this way can we help establish a truly sustainable future for the industry.â€
Fishermen have led waves of often militant protests mainly across southern Europe in recent months against the cost of fuel prices, including in Brussels where one incident caused minor damage to an EU building.
