The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1004.
This proposed Regulation establishes the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027. The duration of the EMFAF is aligned with the duration of the MFF 2021-2027. It lays down the priorities of the EMFAF, its budget and the specific rules for providing Union funding.
Priorities
The EMFAF should contribute to the implementation of the CFP and of the Union’s maritime policy. It should pursue the following priorities:
(1) fostering sustainable fisheries and the restoration and conservation of aquatic biological resources;
(2) fostering sustainable aquaculture activities, and processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products, thus contributing to food security in the Union;
(3) enabling a sustainable blue economy in coastal, island and inland areas, and fostering the development of fishing and aquaculture communities;
(4) strengthening international ocean governance and enabling seas and oceans to be safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed.
Support under the EMFAF should contribute to the achievement of the environmental and climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives of the Union.
Budget
The financial framework for the implementation of the EMFAF for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027 is hereby set at EUR 6 108 000 000 in current prices.
The share of the financial envelope under shared management shall be EUR 5 311 000 000, according to the annual breakdown by Member State set out in Annex V to the Regulation.
For operations located in the outermost regions, each Member State concerned should allocate, within its Union financial support, at least: (a) EUR 102 000 000 for the Azores and Madeira; (b) EUR 82 000 000 for the Canary Islands; (c) EUR 131 000 000 for Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion and Saint-Martin.
The part of the financial envelope under direct and indirect management is set at EUR 797 000 000.
Programming and monitoring
EMFAF is structured in such a way that the priorities are close to the objectives of the CFP and that one or more specific objectives are defined for each of these priorities. Where appropriate, the needs of small-scale coastal fisheries will be taken into account in the programming.
The indicators to be used by Member States for monitoring and evaluation purposes are set out in an annex to the Regulation and may not be amended or supplemented by the Commission.
Eligible operations
Operations which increase fishing capacity will in principle be ineligible for funding, although they are subject to derogations under strict conditions.
Investments in the fleet (e.g. replacement and modernisation of engines) and temporary and permanent cessation of fishing activities will be eligible for funding under strict conditions.
Support will be possible in the case of exceptional events leading to significant market disruption.
Lastly, there is a single maximum co-financing rate of 70% per specific objective, with the exception of the promotion of a level playing field for fisheries and aquaculture products from the outermost regions, for which the maximum co-financing rate is 100%.
Statements by the institutions
The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission recognise the need to urgently advance action on the protection and conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems and biodiversity.
The three institutions agree that tackling biodiversity loss, protecting and restoring ecosystems and/or maintaining them in good condition will require significant public and private investment at national and European level and that a significant proportion of the EMFAF expenditures should be invested in biodiversity.
The Commission has accepted the eligibility of investments on board related to fisheries control and enforcement, be they mandatory or not, and for all Union fishing vessels. Moreover, it expects that – in the context of the ongoing review of the Control Regulation – the European Parliament and the Council will support the modernisation of the existing control tools and the use of new technologies.