The Government has launched a financial aid scheme with an allocation of €700,000 to support full-time fishermen who have been affected by the increase in fuel prices in relation to the crisis in the Middle East.
The scheme, which will be administered by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, aims to alleviate part of the additional fuel costs that fishermen are incurring, while helping to maintain the viability of the fishing sector and safeguard the continuity of food supply. The increase in the price of fuel is having an impact on the fishing sector in several European countries.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supply, Anton Refalo, said that this aid is an intervention aimed at ensuring that the Government remains close to fishermen in a period where international increases in fuel prices are putting pressure on their operations. “Our fishermen should not bear the burden of international circumstances over which they have no control. With an allocation of €700,000, we are providing concrete assistance to alleviate part of the increase in fuel costs and help the sector continue to operate.”
This scheme builds on a series of initiatives through which the Government has supported the fishing sector in the face of extraordinary increases in costs. In 2022 and 2023, schemes financed by national funds were already launched to mitigate the impact of the increase in the price of fuel in relation to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, while last year the Government again supported fishermen through a scheme linked to the increase in the price of bait.
The aid will be based on actual fuel consumption and will cover 70% of the additional eligible cost, calculated according to the difference between the average price in the respective month and the base price of February 2026 of €0.5961 per litre. Payments will be made after verification of fuel receipts.
The scheme applies to eligible operators registered as full-time professional fishermen (MFA), who qualify as SMEs and who purchase duty-free fuel for their fishing operations.
The first application period opened on 28 September 2026 and will remain open until 9 October 2026, covering claims for the period from 1 March to 31 August 2026. Applications are received from the Extension Services offices of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Marsaxlokk, St. Paul’s Bay and Mġarr, Gozo.
The scheme was approved by the European Commission under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework.
Photo: MAFF
