Europêche and ETF, the EU Social Partners for the fishing sector, are calling on the European Commission to urgently extend and adapt existing fuel support measures as exceptionally high fuel prices continue to put severe pressure on fishing companies across the EU.
Fuel remains one of the largest operating costs for the fleet, with many vessels struggling to cover the cost of fishing trips. Activity is already being reduced or postponed, margins are being eroded and the viability of otherwise sound businesses is increasingly at risk.
As in many European fisheries, fishers' remuneration is directly linked to the net revenue generated by each fishing trip. Rising fuel costs make fishers face a direct and drastic reduction in their take-home income, worsening remuneration conditions and threatening job retention in coastal communities in a situation of already low attractiveness of the sector. Europêche and ETF are particularly concerned that the current Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework expires on 31 December 2026, while many national support schemes end even earlier. Support must remain available for as long as exceptional fuel prices continue to affect fishing operations.
Javier Garat, President of Europêche, stated: “The fishing sector cannot absorb indefinitely the exceptional increase in fuel costs. We urge the Commission to extend the temporary framework and ensure that support is not interrupted while the crisis continues.”
In a letter addressed to the European Commission, Europêche and ETF have therefore called for urgent action to ensure continuity of support beyond the current deadlines. In particular, Social Partners are asking the Commission to allow Member States to be able to extend existing schemes through a rapid procedure and to upgrade the legal basis for the aid, to place future support on a stronger footing that recognises the exceptional nature and severity of the current crisis.
Juan Manuel Trujillo, Chair of the ETF Fisheries Section stated “the persisting high costs of fuel represent a concrete risk to employment and coastal communities. If nothing is done to counter these high fuel costs, fishers will be left without reliable source of income for fishers and stable jobs.”
The framework should maintain the possibility to compensate verified additional fuel costs without an overall cap and to apply simplified aid ceilings per vessel, rather than per company. Additional EU funding and rapid reprogramming of available resources will also be necessary in Member States, where existing funds have already been committed or exhausted.
Short-term fuel support must go hand in hand with longer-term investment in energy efficiency, engine modernisation and lower-emission fuels. However, these investments cannot address the immediate financial pressure caused by today’s fuel prices.
