The European Commission stands ready to offer assistance, including financial support, for the fisheries sector in the wake of the recent Russian trade ban, according to Maria Damanaki, European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries.
Damanaki expressed her support in a letter to Italian Minister Maurizio Martina and Alain Cadec, chair of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee. In the letter, Damanaki also left the possibility open of
Russia issued a trade ban against several Western countries, including the EU, back in August, in retaliation for economic sanctions by the West. The ban includes
Aid from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the commissioner said, can help producer organizations store unsold product until new markets can be established, and no one needs the commission’s approval to access these funds.
The move drew praise from Europeche, the European fisheries association that had recently criticized Damanaki for “inaction” in response to the ban.
"The Commissioner has now finally come forward to address the impact of economic uncertainty within the European fishing sector,” said Javier Garat, president of Europeche. “Our fishermen are incurring serious financial losses following the ban and were feeling frustrated. This is a step in the right direction and we trust that the Commission will work in close cooperation with industry to analyze the external and internal impacts of the ban in the EU market to assist the entire supply chain as well as the catching sector."
Keep checking SeafoodSource for all the latest news on Russia’s ban on seafood exports.
