Help accelerate the energy transition of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector

The EU fisheries and aquaculture sector is currently energy intensive and highly reliant on fossil fuels, making it vulnerable to fuel price increases.The recently published 2022 annual economic report on the EU fishing fleetSearch for available translations of the preceding for example, shows that the current energy crisis, caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, has had a strong impact on the economic performance of the fishing fleet. The EU reacted immediately and adopted a range of crisis support measures to support the sector, allowing it to maintain its overall profitability in 2022. The current reliance on fossil fuels, however, is a structural problem that requires a long-term approach to make the sector resilient and sustainable.The EU fisheries and aquaculture sector can strengthen its resilience and improve its long-term social, economic and environmental sustainability by reducing the energy needs and increasing the use of clean and alternative power sources.The Commission is preparing a new initiative to develop a long-term strategy for the energy transition of the sector. The initiative will put in place the structures to enhance cooperation between stakeholders and help to remove the current barriers to the uptake of energy-efficient technologies.