MEP François-Xavier Bellamy (EPP, France) called on the European Commission, on Friday 27 March, to take additional measures to help the fisheries sector, whose activities have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12455/9).
He notes that "nearly 70% of the activities of the French fishing industry have stopped because of the pandemic".
Mr Bellamy met Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius on 26 March and asked him to amend the rules of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF): - extend the mechanism for the temporary cessation of fishing activities in the event of major health crises for all types of fishing and for the duration of the health crisis; - reintegrate storage aid; - facilitate the reallocation of Structural Funds between the different national operational programmes without requiring prior agreement from the Commission; - suspend during the crisis all regulatory developments in order to concentrate legislative efforts on safeguarding fishermen and the continuation of activities.
François-Xavier Bellamy says he is determined to support the French fishing and aquaculture sectors, already hard hit by Brexit. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)