The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 of 27 July 2006 on the European Fisheries Fund(1),

–  having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2002 on the Commission Green Paper on the future of the common fisheries policy(2) and its legislative resolution of 6 July 2005 on a proposal for a Council regulation on the European Fisheries Fund(3),

–  having regard to the communication of 9 March 2006 from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on improving the economic situation in the fishing industry (COM(2006)0103),

–  having regard to the Conference organised by the Commission and held in Brussels on 10‑11 May 2006 on new technologies in the field of fisheries,

–  having regard to the reports of the Committee on Fisheries (A6-0266/2006 and A6‑0467/2007),

–  having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the European fisheries sector has seen a 320% increase in fuel prices in the last five years, a 40% increase in fuel prices since January 2008, a 25% reduction in prices of certain fishery products since January this year and fish prices at the same level as 20 years ago, all of this with extremely negative consequences for its economic viability,

B.  whereas the lack of a European response to the deterioration in the situation of fishermen has led to massive demonstrations by fishermen across Europe,

C.  whereas these difficulties have been compounded by declining fish stocks and by the existing common organisation of the market in fisheries and aquaculture, which does not allow fishermen to establish the prices of fisheries products,

D.  whereas, together with the rise in the price of oil, one of the most recurrent claims of the European fishing fleet with regard to the drop in the price of its products relates to the massive imports of fishing products at low prices from illegal fishing,

E.  whereas there needs to be serious investment, at both European and national level, in new technologies to increase energy efficiency in fishing vessels and in ways to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels,

F.  whereas the solution to this situation can only be found if serious measures are taken at both national and European level in the short, medium and long term,

1.  Asks the Slovenian Presidency to include this matter in the agenda of the forthcoming Fisheries Ministers Council of 23-24 June and to adopt the necessary measures to resolve this crisis;

2.  Calls on the Member States to speed up procedures to enable the payment of aid under Commission Regulation (EC) No 875/2007 of 24 July 2007 on de minimis aid in the fisheries sector(4);

3.  Reiterates in this context its call to the Commission to revise the abovementioned regulation so as to increase the aid to EUR 100 000 per vessel instead of per undertaking, so that the level of aid is brought closer to that in other economic sectors;

4.  Calls on the Commission to allow for the reprogramming of the national EFF Operational Programmes with a view to more targeted spending, and asks the Commission to consider co-financing of the premiums on financial hedging contracts for capping fuel prices;

5.  Asks the Commission to show flexibility when assessing national aid for certain types of modernisation and equipping of vessels when this is aimed at restructuring fishing enterprises as part of rescue and restructuring schemes;

6.  Insists that the Commission include ‘the serious degradation of socio-economic conditions’ in the criteria set out in Article 24(1)(vii) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006;

7.  Reiterates its call to the Commission to submit, as soon as possible, its proposal for the revision of the Common Organisation of the Markets in fisheries products, taking account of the proposals of the European Parliament, with a view to allowing fishermen to have more responsibility in the setting of prices, thus guaranteeing incomes in the sector, ensuring market stability, improving the marketing of fisheries products and increasing the value added generated;

8.  Urges the Commission to formulate specific proposals to alleviate the situation in the areas most dependent on fisheries;

9.  Calls on the Council to act responsibly by adopting the proposed directive against IUU fishing, so that controls on imports from illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing are strengthened and improved;

10.  Asks the Commission to support the creation of a specific fisheries-oriented research and development fund to help finance projects aimed at investigating alternative energy sources and improving energy efficiency in the fisheries sector;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the representatives of the European fisheries organisations.

(1) OJ L 223, 15.8.2006, p. 1. (2) Texts adopted, P5_TA(2003)0026. (3) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2005)0282. (4) OJ L 193, 25.7.2007, p. 6.