Joe Borg inaugurates fishermen's Brussels HQ

EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg has inaugurated the new headquarters in Brussels of Europeche, an association that brings together national organisations representing the owners of fishing vessels in the European Union's coastal states.

Founded in 1962, Europeche now has 16 member organisations from 11 different European countries. Malta is represented through Apex, the organisation of cooperatives.

During his visit to Europeche, Dr Borg noted that many fisheries firms were working at economically unviable levels due to structural weaknesses in the fishing industry combined with unprecedented increases in the price of fuel over the last two years.

The Commission, he said, was exploring every possible way to find solutions and to find a way to ensure a sustainable future for the sector. Last March the Commission adopted a communication entitled The Improvement Of The Economic Situation In The Fishing Industry which, said Dr Borg, should address some of the current problems.

"The challenge is to balance the need to address long term structural problems with the necessity to help the most affected parts of the fishing industry to overcome the difficulties generated by high oil prices in the short term.

"We have sought to offer possibilities for rescuing and restructuring fishing firms by helping them to become profitable in a world where oil prices will remain high, and also by using Community funds.

"But beyond the rescue and restructuring it is important to define ways to structurally improve the situation of the sector and to create an environment that will lead to a healthy fishing sector in the long term."

Dr Borg said sustainable fisheries are only possible if fishermen feel they have a long-term stake in the sector, and if they accept the rules.