Revision of technical measures for fishing in the Mediterranean
Sea and launching of the new European Fisheries Fund (EFF): for
the Italian fisheries sector, these are the most important topics
that will be handled in the Community sphere in the course of
the year 2006.
For the Mediterranean, negotiations will start once more from
the compromise proposal presented to the Council by the United
Kingdom presidency in September 2005, which Italy and France deemed
to be insufficient. Particularly for the Italian Delegation, the
matter of the final incorporation of “traditional fishing”
into Community regulations remains open; this type of fishing
is of great socio-economic importance for some Italian Regions,
especially Apulia and Veneto. Italy also asks to take the characteristics
of the different fishing areas into consideration (first of all,
the depth of the water) for trawl-netting.
About the EFF, which should be entering in effect starting January
1, 2007, Italy – together with Greece, Poland, Portugal
and Spain – asks for the controlled renewal of public incentives
for the constructions of new boats (on average, the Italian fleet
is composed of boats built more than 25 years ago) and for the
substitution of motors, having among other things the finality
of the reduction of consumption, and, thus, of costs, which have
risen sharply due to the effect of the increase in the price of
oil.
