Press Release: Fisheries: Commission issues statement on the emergency in the sector

Responding to the grave difficulties faced by the European fisheries sector as a result of massively increased fuel costs, Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg renewed his call for the restructuring of the sector before it is too late. The difficulties faced by the EU fisheries sector have their roots in a structural mismatch between the size of the fleet and the sustainable level of fishing possibilities. These problems have been seriously compounded by the sharp increase of fuel prices over the past few years. Marine Fuel Prices have gone beyond 0.7€/l in most European harbours, an increase of around 240% since 2004.