Fishing industry: improving the economic situation

The Council held an exchange of views on a Communication from the Commission on improving the economic situation in the fishing industry.

Several delegations asked for a simplification of the procedure for granting state aids and suggested amending the legislative framework in line with the adoption of the Regulation establishing the new European Fisheries Fund (EFF). Some delegations insisted on the need to ban aids that may serve to increase fishing capacity or engine power, and to develop incentives for decommissioning vessels. Other delegations, stressing the considerable rise in fuel prices and its negative impact on fishermen's incomes, asked for a temporary and exceptional increase of the de minimis aid and for a relaxing of the existing guidelines on state aids.