EU emergency measures for fisheries sector

The European Commission has announced a range of emergency measures for fishermen who have been hardest hit by the fuel crisis.

A statement issued by the Commission this morning said it had decided to help the fisheries sector due to the "unique situation that fishermen are facing."

The new measures will allow a two-year derogation to the European Fisheries Fund (EFF),  providing short-term support to the hardest-hit.

The fund was created in 2006 to cover investment in the sector across Europe from 2007 to 2013.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg said: "High fuel prices and chronic overcapacity mean that European fisheries are in a time of crisis. The Commission recognises the need to help the sector adjust to the new realities."

"That is why the action the Commission is proposing rests on three main principles: that we must focus aid on reducing overcapacity, on reducing fuel dependency, and on market measures which can help fishermen raise the first-sale value of their fish. Only in this way can we help establish a truly sustainable future for the industry.”