Commission launches consultations on fisheries and maritime activities funding programmes

The European Commission launched two consultations to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of past and current funding programmes for fisheries and maritime activities. 

The first consultation aims to gather evidence and different perspectives on the management and use of the funds from various actors involved or interested, such as individuals, the fisheries and the maritime sectors, non-governmental and other organisations, and national administrations from Member States.

You can now provide input until 11 July 2024:

• Call for evidence for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which supported the fisheries and maritime sectors in the period 2014-2020.
• Call for evidence for the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), which is currently active (2021-2027).

The second consultation will include a questionnaire. It will be published in the coming weeks and will seek feedback from the main actors involved or interested in the management and use of the funding provided through EMFF and EMFAF from 2014 until 2024.

Next steps

The results of the consultations, together with other analyses and studies, will be used to assess the performance of the funds and their contribution to the European Union’s strategy for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth.

The Commission will publish a summary report of the consultations, including the evidence gathered, by the end of 2024.

Supporting the sector during COVID and energy price crises 

Both the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine caused widespread economic shocks throughout the EU, and the fisheries and aquaculture sectors were strongly affected. Businesses were forced to cease operations, and operating expenses rose sharply due to inflated gas prices. In response, both the EMFF and the EMFAF provided substantial financial support for businesses impacted by these external economic crises.

Under the EMFF, 21 Member States granted financial support to compensate businesses whose operations were affected by the COVID-19 crisis – in total, the EMFF funded more than 22 000 operations.

The EMFF also supported 10 Member States in alleviating market disruptions in the fisheries, aquaculture, and processing sectors due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, funding more than 16 000 operations.

The EMFAF continues supporting businesses affected by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and similar support is available for future economic crises.

The Commission welcomes the agreement on sustainable fisheries reached at Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

Background

From 2021 until 2027, the EMFAF contributes with EUR 2.7 billion to the promotion of sustainable fisheries, with EUR 1.8 billion to ensure food security in the European Union, with EUR 528 million to help develop the blue economy in coastal communities, and with EUR 91 million to strengthen the international ocean’s governance, among other priorities.

From 2014 until 2020, the EMFF contributed to the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Europe with almost EUR 4.1 billion.

At the same time, significant efforts were made to protect the environment and to use resources more efficiently, with a total of EUR 2.5 billion.

Other contributions of the EMFF included supporting employment quality and stability, technical assistance, and the development of a low-carbon economy.

More Information: European Commission