Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Fishing Commissioner, is eagerly awaited by the Reunion profession, November 13 and 14.
During his visit to the island, he will be questioned about a recent Commission proposal, intended to support fishermen in ultra-peripheral regions. The Commission is in favor of support for fishing boats of less than 12 meters, with the possibility of receiving state aid for the purchase of new ships, modernization or replacement of engines, increasing the fishing capacity of vessels, the construction or importation of new boats… But Pierre Karleskind, Chairman of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee, and Reunion MEP Stéphane Bijoux put the scope of this position into perspective. “We continue to have a point of alert on the intensity of aid, they write in a press release. The Commission proposes to increase the maximum authorized threshold from 30,000 to 40,000 euros over three years ; but this amount remains well below the needs of fishing professionals in our territories. Promising the fishing industry an increase in aid for such a small increase does not meet the challenges. »
