EU commercial fisheries are currently exempted from fuel taxation, both energy- and CO2-taxes. However, in their proposal for a new energy tax directive the EU Commission wants to remove the exemption. This project analyses the effects of the proposal on the Swedish fishing fleet.

The project contains two parts. The first part is a literature review on how the fishing industry has historically adapted to increased fuel prices, e.g. through the use of new technologies or fishing methods. In the second part, the effects of fuel taxes on the structure and profitability of the Swedish fishing fleet are analyzed. We will analyze scenarios where different possible future fuel prices are introduced in a bio-economic model (Fish-PAL). The project is expected to be completed in 2023.

The first part of the project is published in: AgriFood Focus 2023:1. This publication is in Swedish.