Professional fishermen in Greece have temporarily suspended their protest actions, but warned that they will resume them in more serious forms if the government does not fulfill its commitments. The decision was defined as a gesture of goodwill towards the cabinet after the meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“We are not complacent, we are showing once again a gesture of goodwill towards the government, but if the promises are not fulfilled, we will all return together with much more decisive action“, the fishermen said in a statement quoted by the Greek television ERT.
The protest began because of expensive fuel
Since the beginning of October, professional fishermen in various parts of the country have stopped work due to the sharp increase in the price of marine fuel. According to data cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, about 150 fishing vessels participated in the protests. Near Thessaloniki, protesters also blocked shipments of imported fish from Turkey.
The fishermen claim that at the current costs, some of the trips to sea are already economically unprofitable. The suspension of the ships has led to a shortage of fresh fish on the domestic market.
The fuel subsidy was doubled
The Minister of Agrarian Development and Food Margaritis Schinas announced a retroactive increase in the fuel subsidy for the period from April to August. The subsidy for April and May increases from 16 to 32 euro cents per liter, and for June, July and August - from 12 to 24 euro cents. The measure will be applied under the de minimis regime.
However, this decision did not satisfy the protesters. Representatives of 13 fishing ports demanded that the subsidy be at least 50 euro cents per liter and insisted on an immediate meeting with the minister.
Additional support expected
On October 8, Mitsotakis met with representatives of the fishing sector and made a personal commitment to explore the possibility of additional financial support. After the meeting, the fishermen decided to temporarily end the protests while awaiting further actions and decisions from the government.
The Secretary General for Agrarian Development, Spyros Protopsaltis, told ERT that additional measures are being prepared for fishermen, including opportunities to provide more funds for fuel and fishing nets. He specified that the final decisions are yet to be announced by Minister Schinas.
Sources: bta.bg, ertnews.gr