The EU-funded project in Marsaxlokk, initially aimed at providing hard standing facilities for fishing vessels, is not being utilised for five months of the year. This was claimed by the Fishing Co-operative which also raised doubts whether the government is being pressured by Bezzina or Cassar shipyards to have fishermen use their facilities instead.

The total cost of the hard standing facility amounted to around €2 million,75% of which was financed by the Financial Instrument for Fisheries and Guidance (FIFG – Structural Funds).

The fishermen cooperative is also accusing government of not having “utilised all the EU funds allocated to fishermen to maintain or scrap their vessels” and has “seemingly gone in a state of panic as the election looms” after having “realised a little too late”.

According to the co-operative’s secretary Raymond Bugeja, during a meeting held on October 25 between the cooperatives and Resources Ministry officials, the cooperative left the meeting abruptly.

“We were requested by the Resources Ministry to voice our opinions over the proposed introduction of a new fishing activity-related permanent scheme,” Mr Bugeja said.

He added that the co-operative will not succumb to pressures before government stops the alleged discrimination it was creating between fishermen.

Mr Bugeja said that the co-operative will honour contracts discussed and finalised with government before discussing other schemes, while calling on government to investigate pressures on fishermen to use the above-mentioned shipyards when a hard standing facility existed and was not being used for five months of the year.

The cooperative accused government of “arrogance and lack of transparency” in the way it was dealing with things in this sector.

“The Prime Minister is aware of all this but has until today failed to look into the matter.,” Mr Bugeja said.

The secretary also questioned why, among a number of delegates from the Resources Ministry, there were representatives of Bezzina and Cassar shipyards present during the meeting.

“The government is appeasing the shipyard owners at the detriment of fishermen,” Mr Bugeja concluded.

 

Ministry reacts

Meanwhile the Resources Ministry said in a statement that Minister George Pullicino had no intentions whatsoever to create any form of discrimination between fishermen but stressed on the importance on what the proposed regulations of the permanent scheme were.

The ministry’s statement further read that under the European Fisheries Fund, only trawlers involved in catching specific species like tuna, (which fell under a management plan to better manage fishing), could apply for the breaking up of vessels, while also stating that the scheme applied for tuna fishermen.

Regarding the proposal of funds that should be allocated to invest in new fishing vessels, the minister insisted that the proposal was discussed during a meeting called by the cooperative on October 25.

After having discussed the matter with the managing authority of the European Fisheries Fund within the Office of the Prime Minister, it was decided that government will be working for the introduction of a new modernisation scheme to be introduced by the end of this month. In this respect, the cooperative was invited to attend a meeting to discuss the above-mentioned scheme.

On the private shipyards’ claim, the ministry said that in the past the Malta Planning and Environment Authority (Mepa) had received complaints regarding vessels being broken up at the Hard Standing Facility in Marsaxlokk.

“Since Mepa is the competent authority responsible for the scrappage scheme directive, it decided that the breaking up of tuna vessels should be done in licensed shipyards, in line with the scheme.

“Despite this, the ministry will be presenting an application to Mepa so that the Hard Standing Facility can be used for the breaking up of fishing vessels,” the statement read.