CAPTION: German fishermen under further pressure due to high fuel prices. (icture alliance/dpa)
The situation for fishermen on the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts continues to be tense due to the high diesel prices. There is no improvement so far, said the Secretary General of the German Fisheries Association, Peter Breckling, when asked. Hardly any company could produce sufficient yields from fishing, he added. It is difficult to quantify how many companies have given up in recent weeks, according to Breckling. Apart from the insolvencies there are often cases, in which the company’s available capital is being used up. Some fishermen would have cancelled life insurances for their old age pension, for example, in order to instead put those funds into their businesses. The situation remains precarious.
Aid money for the struggling businesses is now on the cards. According to the Fisheries Association, the European Union has created a legal framework for emergency aid. Accordingly, the German government wants to approve up to 10 million euros, and the cabinet is expected to decide on this at the end of April. After that, there must be a payment order as quickly as possible so that the companies can get the money into their accounts, said Breckling. It is now in the hands of the German policymakers to decide whether help can still be given, he said.
Following the start of the Ukraine war on February 24, fuel prices in Germany have risen considerably. This also applies to marine diesel, which is largely tax- and duty-free. Since the start of the war, the price has more than doubled, according to the association. Since then, economically viable fishing has no longer been possible. A large number of companies had therefore stopped fishing. Even at present, many cutters remain in German ports on the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
The German Fisheries Association is the umbrella organization of the German fishing industry. According to its own information, it represents the interests of around one million members.
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