Brussels, 09/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a press statement published on Tuesday 8 January, the Italian Lega Pesca association declared that the problem of high fuel costs “has to be responded to from the Community institutions”. Its president, Ettore Iani, is calling on Joe Borg, the European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, to resume the dialogue with professionals from the industry in an effort to find an end to this crisis.
According to the association, which also highlights the lack of progress achieved at the last meeting on the subject last December (EUROPE 9559), “we cannot put off till later measures and additional funds” to those included in the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). Lega Pesca affirms that the EFF was not devised to tackle problems that were so complex. It is calling for a debate between the Commission and member states in which they will be able to look at all possible initiatives to help “contain” production costs, in a context of general reconstruction of fishing businesses. (L.C.)