Portugal was represented by the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, at the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries. During the Council, Ministers called for the adoption of European measures to mitigate the effects of increased production and commercial operating costs in the fisheries, aquaculture and industry sector caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Portugal called for urgent measures to be adopted at Union level, as was the case during the fuel crisis in 2008 and the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures should prevent the immobilisation of fishing fleets and guarantee supply to the food chain by compensating operators for the loss of income and additional costs they have incurred.
This course of action has been supported by 21 Member States. In response, the Commission announced that it will propose to authorise the use of the mechanism provided for in Article 26 of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, with retroactive effect from 24 February 2022 and running until 31 December 2022. The compensation measures could be used by the fisheries, aquaculture and processing industry. These measures are part of a cross-cutting package and should be submitted to the College of Commissioners soon.