Dan-Ştefan Motreanu, a Romanian MEP from the centre-right European People's Party (PPE), has asked the European Commission to assess the impact of rising fuel prices on the economic viability of EU fisheries and to consider revising or expanding existing support instruments to address the crisis. The written question, submitted on 13 April 2026, follows warnings from industry representatives that fuel costs in some cases exceed income from fish sales, putting certain fleet segments at risk of becoming economically unsustainable.
Motreanu's question specifically requests that the Commission evaluate how high energy prices affect the sector's economic sustainability and whether it is prepared to revise or expand EU support mechanisms. He calls for rapid mobilisation of crisis support under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), temporary and targeted measures including adjustments to State aid rules and exceptional market measures, and longer-term structural solutions such as facilitating access to strategic fuel stocks in EU ports.
The question reflects a policy orientation favouring increased EU intervention to protect the fisheries sector from external price shocks, balancing economic viability with the goal of sustainable fishing. It does not set numerical targets or deadlines but urges the Commission to act swiftly.
Under EU rules, the Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it views the current crisis as severe enough to warrant exceptional measures or prefers to rely on existing instruments. The outcome will affect EU fishing fleets, national fisheries authorities, consumers (via potential fish price increases), and the broader EU budget if new support is mobilised.