EU ministers urge more aid for fishing over fuel

By Ian Simpson

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Ministers from seven European Union countries urged more state aid for fishermen hit by higher fuel prices on Tuesday, with Italy and France calling for assistance to be more than tripled.

The increase is among proposals from fisheries ministers from France, Spain, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Malta aimed at helping the industry cope with diesel prices that have risen by 240 percent since 2004.

The proposals will be sent to a full meeting of bloc agriculture ministers on June 23 and 24. Many fishermen have been striking to protest the rising costs.

"We have a serious crisis in the fisheries sector because of high fuel costs, so we need quick measures to save this sector," Italian Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia told a news conference after the ministers met.

Italy wants the EU to allow fishermen to receive up to 100,000 euros in aid spread over three years without a national government facing scrutiny from European Commission market regulators. The permitted level now is 30,000 over three years.

France's position is the same, Iztok Jarc, Slovenia's agriculture minister and the meeting's president, told Reuters.

Other proposals include the introduction of more fuel-efficient vessels, increased funds to pay for temporary halts to fishing and stability measures for fuel prices.

In a statement, EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said he was ready to consider allowing temporary exceptions to EU rules to help the sector cope and adapt to the fuel crisis.