Press Release: Commission proposes renewing support scheme to fisheries sector in outermost regions

The Commission has proposed to renew the compensation scheme for additional costs incurred in marketing certain fishery products from the EU outermost regions for the period 2007-2013. This proposal differs in a number of ways from the current compensation scheme which expires at the end of 2006. It has been guided by the conclusions of a Commission report on the application of the current scheme. This report concludes that while the previous scheme had a positive impact on the competitiveness of the sector, there was scope to make the new scheme more efficient and more targeted: The new compensation scheme will provide the same level of funding as its predecessor, namely €15 million a year. The regions concerned, which remain the same as under the current scheme, are: the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the French departments of Guiana and Réunion.