Brussels, 14/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Differences were apparent on Monday 14 May in the views of EU fisheries ministers on aid for the fleet in the forthcoming financial framework period, 2014-2020. Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Poland and the Baltic states called for aid for adjusting fishing fleet capacity and for modernising vessels to be maintained. Other countries, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, recommended that this support be ended.
The Council was divided over the scale of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which, during the period from 2014 to 2020, will replace the European Fisheries Fund (2007-2014) and the criteria for apportioning money from it. Germany and the United Kingdom noted that account had to be taken of the negotiations on the financial framework 2014-2020, and several countries felt the budget proposed for the EU maritime policy was too great. Some countries, such as France, Germany and Belgium, challenged the historic criterion for apportioning funding and backed socio-economic criteria. The Commission is proposing historic and socio-economic criteria.
In addition, a number of countries, including France, called for the retention of aid for the private storage of fisheries products. In this request, they were opposed by others, such as Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. (LC/transl.rt)