Help for fishing industry hit by Russia's war in Ukraine

Today the European Parliament gave the green light for the use of additional financial support for the EU fishery and aquaculture sectors struggling with the fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Particularly, EU funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) will be available to compensate for additional costs, for forgone income and for the storage of products, as well as for the temporary cessation of fishing activities to those companies that temporarily cannot continue fishing due to economic constraints.

Nuno Melo MEP, who negotiated the new measures on behalf of the European Parliament, declared: “The EU must intervene to minimise the impact of the war alleviating the market disruption to the seafood supply chain and to guarantee the survival of companies and jobs. This positive step will provide much-needed support to fishermen and to the aquaculture sector in record time with a retroactive effect. It is during these times that the European Parliament can help to clearly make a difference.”

Gabriel Mato MEP, EPP Group Spokesman for Fisheries, stressed: “It is urgent to ensure that the fight against the negative impact of the war in Ukraine is included in the objectives of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The fisheries and aquaculture sectors are crucial in the European Union and therefore the Union must indeed intervene to limit the scope of the Russian aggression ensuring the survival of the industry and to protect jobs.”

The final adoption of this law will provide much-needed support to fishermen and to the aquaculture sector in record time and with a retroactive effect, as companies will be compensated for the impact of the crisis from February this year.