July 9, 2013 — The marine conservation organization Oceana claims that the Member States of the European Union (EU) contributed EUR 4,825 million as "hidden subsidies" to the fishing sector.
The NGO clarifies that to this amount further EUR 8,000 million granted as official aid must be added. This implies that, since the year 2000 to date, the sector has received about EUR 12,900 million, the agency Europa Press reported.
Oceana has just published the results of a study conducted for seven months over the actual expenditure in fisheries subsidies in the 27 European countries since 2000.
Specifically, the report indicates that 75 per cent of the expenditure is led by Ireland, Spain, Italy and France.
In addition, it stresses that the EU has difficulties to identify and determine how the money from taxpayers has been used and the total amount.
For his part, the Executive Director of Oceana in Europe, Xavier Pastor, claimed that public money must be used for the common good, a provision that would "seem obvious" but he ensured it has not been so since the aid has been granted to the fisheries sector.
Furthermore, he stressed that "only" 1 per cent of the aid granted by the EU countries benefitted the environment or the resources on which the industry depends.