Brussels, 03/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European fisheries sector is very concerned at unbearable diesel prices, which is certainly a lasting trend. In a letter that they have just addressed to European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg and president of the fisheries parliamentary committee, Philippe Morillon (ALDE, France), the presidents of the Association of National Organisations of Fishing Enterprises in the EEC and the “Fisheries” section of Cogeca (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives of the EU, Niels Wichmann and José Ramon Fuertes Gamundi, requested Community measures for rectifying the problem The presidents of these organisations, underline the “disastrous situation for fishermen and their companies in combination with the significant difficulties in the sector due to measures resulting from Common fisheries Policy implementation”. They also point to the “badly controlled” imports of products from third countries.
According to the two organisations, all EU Member States with seaboards are affected by high diesel prices impacting on fishing activities. The organisations highlight the high price of fuel for fishing enterprises and the fact that the sector is dependent on a buyer's market that determines fish prices during fish auction sales, which prevents fish producers being able to increase fish prices to make up for rises in fuels prices.
The presidents of the two organisations are demanding long term Community structural measures, especially in the context of the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) 2007-13. They also point to aid for finding new sources of energy or the setting up of a diesel insurance fund. They want DG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and DG Competition at the European Commission to find “immediate remedies to the crisis that have an equivalent effect in all EU Member States”