The European Parliament adopted by 473 to 52 votes with 40 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the amended proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
The report was sent back to committee at the plenary session of 23 October 2013.
Parliament adopted its position at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of an agreement negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council. They modify the proposal as follows:
Objectives: Parliament and the Council stated that the EMFF should contribute to the following objectives of: a) promoting environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially responsible fisheries; b) fostering the implementation of the CFP; c) promoting a balanced and inclusive territorial development of fisheries and aquaculture areas. The pursuit of these goals should not result in any increase in fishing capacity.
The achievement of the objectives of the EMFF should be pursued through the following Union priorities:
· the reduction of the impact of fisheries on the marine environment, including the avoidance and reduction, as far as possible, of unwanted catches;
· the protection and restoration of aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems;
· the ensuring of a balance between fishing capacity and available fishing opportunities;
· the enhancement of the competitiveness and viability of fisheries enterprises, including of small–scale coastal fleet, and the improvement of safety and working conditions;
· the provision of support to strengthen technological development and innovation, including increasing energy efficiency, and knowledge transfer;
· the development of professional training, new professional skills and lifelong learning;
· the improvement and supply of scientific knowledge as well as the improvement of the collection and management of data;
· increasing employment and territorial cohesion;
· the encouragement of investment in the processing and marketing sectors.
Budget: the resources available for commitments from the EMFF for the period from 2014 to 2020 under shared management shall be EUR 5 749 331 600, broken down as follows:
· sustainable development of fisheries, aquaculture and fisheries areas, to marketing and processing-related measures and to technical assistance at the initiative of the Member States: EUR 4 340 800 000;
· control and enforcement measures: EUR 580 000 000;
· measures on data collection: EUR 520 000 000;
· compensation of outermost regions: EUR 192 500 000;
· storage aid: EUR 44 976 000;
· measures concerning the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP): EUR 71 055 600.
The resources for the period from 2014 to 2020 concerning measures under direct management shall be EUR 647 275 400 in current prices.
Support for young fishermen: Members ensured that the EMFF could provide business start-up support to young fishermen.
Young fishermen under the age of 40 and who have worked for at least five years as fisherman may be granted support up to EUR 75 000 to buy a fishing vessel with an overall length of less than 24 metres and between 5 and 30 years old.
Cessation of fishing activities: the EMFF may support measures for temporary cessation of fishing activities. The support should only be granted to owners of Union fishing vessels which have carried out fishing activities at sea for at least 120 days during the last two calendar years preceding the date of submission of the application for support.
The EMFF may support measures for the permanent cessation of fishing activities only when that is achieved through the scrapping of fishing vessels and subject to certain conditions being met.
Mutual funds: in order to safeguard fishermen’s incomes, contributions should be made from the EMFF to mutual funds that pay financial compensation to fishermen for economic losses caused by adverse climatic events or by environmental incidents or for the rescue costs for fishermen or fishing vessels in the case of accidents at sea during their fishing activities.
Energy efficiency and mitigationof climate change: the EMFF may support investments in equipment or on board aimed at reducing the emission of pollutants or greenhouse gases. Investments in fishing gear are also eligible provided that they do not undermine the selectivity of that fishing gear.
The EMFF may support the replacement or modernisation of main or ancillary engines. The support may be granted only:
· for vessels up to 12 metres in overall length (provided that the new or modernised engine does not have more power in kW than the current engine);
· for vessels between 12 and 18 metres in overall length (provided that the power in kW of the new or modernised engine is at least 20 % lower than that of the current engine);
· for vessels between 18 and 24 metres in overall length (provided that the power in kW of the new or modernised engine is at least 30 % lower than that of the current engine).
Added value, product quality and use of unwanted catches: in order to improve the added value or quality of the fish caught, the EMFF may support: a) investments that add value to fishery products, in particular by allowing fishermen to carry out the processing, marketing and direct sale of their own catches; b) innovative investments on board that improve the quality of the fishery products.
The support should be conditional on the use of selective gears to minimise unwanted catches.
Aquaculture: entrepreneurs entering the sector should provide a business plan and, where the amount of investments is more than EUR 50 000, a feasibility study including an environmental assessment of the operations. Support should be granted only where it has been clearly demonstrated in an independent marketing report that good and sustainable market prospects exist for the product.
The EMFF should not give incentives to the farming of genetically modified organisms.