BELGIUM: European Commission tells fishermen it understands their difficulties dealing with soaring oil prices but they not the only ones affected

Record ID: 1531375

  • Title: BELGIUM: European Commission tells fishermen it understands their difficulties dealing with soaring oil prices but they not the only ones affected
  • Date: 5th June 2008
  • Summary: (EU) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JUNE 4, 2008) (REUTERS) FISHERMEN WITH ITALIAN FLAG ON MAIN ROAD FISHERMEN WITH BANNERS AND FLAGS AND FLARES BLOWING HORNS FISHERMEN HOLDING FLARE FISHERMEN IN FRONT OF EUROPEAN UNION BUILDING WITH BANNERS DELEGATION OF FISHERMEN LEADERS WALKING TO THE FRONT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
  • Embargoed: 20th June 2008 11:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: European Union,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVA86PPAP1YFKAU8F1LP8XZWYQWM
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: The European Commission told fishermen it understood how difficult it was for them to deal with soaring oil prices but that it was part of a much bigger problem and the fishing industry had to reform itself.
    Police sealed off parts of the European Union district of Brussels on Wednesday (June 4) as hundreds of fishermen demonstrated against the soaring price of fuel.
    The fishermen, mostly from France and Italy, occupied one of the district's main artery roads, setting off flares close to barricades where police lined up in riot gear and gas masks.
    French fishermen say they will go bust unless they obtain discounted diesel at 40 euro cents (0.62 US dollars) per litre as opposed to 80 euro cents on the market. The price of marine diesel has surged by 30 percent in the past four months.
    They also want the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to intervene by raising the amount of financial aid that a government may grant to its fisheries sector without attracting the scrutiny of EU internal market regulators.
    A handful of demonstrators met the chief political advisor to EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, who was not himself in Brussels, and explained their grievances -- to little avail.
    "The commissioner is accurately aware that this is a crisis for the sector of the situation that is real immediate and that requires action but of course the big problem that there is is that the cause of it which is oil prices is something we have all to live with we are all trying to understand it to adjust it not just in fisheries but other sectors,"
    Patrick Tabone said at the entrance to the Commission's headquarters.
    If Europe wants a sustainable fishing industry and to act responsibly towards a European fishing industry then give us attractive fuel!" said one French fisherman.
    "We covered 3,000 kilometres, we were on the road for 15 hours if not 20 hours just to be received on the doorstep. That's not very correct.
    Thousands of kilometres to be received like this! That's not very serious. now if you want to receive us correctly then we can talk correctly" shouted another.
    "There is a problem of high cost at a time at when the sector is also in a situation where there is overcapacity and where, and the need for re-sctructuring and what we need to insure is that the responses that we come up with, the responses that we come up with are a real help to the sector, not only in the short term but also in the long term to adapt to what we all have to accept is a new reality," said Tarbone.
    The EU has strict rules about aid doled out by its member states to particular industries and companies, designed to ensure governments grant assistance that does not give one sector in a particular country an unfair trade advantage.
    The fishermen were invited inside the Commission but given no hope of subsidies.
    Violence erupted shortly afterwards and police used water canons to disperse the demonstrators.
    Several windows were broken and traffic lights damaged by the protesters There were several arrests.
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