Ministers OK fuel aid for fishermen, slam farm reform plans

EU agriculture and fisheries ministers gave their backing to a €2 billion emergency aid package to help fishermen adjust to rising fuel prices. A large majority of them also lashed out at Commission plans to slash farm subsidies against the current background of a global food crisis.

"Political agreement was reached by a qualified majority on urgent measures for the fishing sector," a spokesperson for the EU's French Presidency announced after the meeting on 15 July.

The measures include the possibility for governments to raise the aid cap for fishing vessels to €100,000 over a three-year period, up from the current €30,000 (EurActiv 18/06/08). Actions to reduce fishing fleet overcapacity and fuel dependency and raise the sale value of fish were also approved.

The move comes after fishermen staged mass protests throughout the EU, responding to a 240% rise in fuel costs since 2004. Countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Malta have been hit particularly hard.