European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

The EMFF is the fund for the EU's maritime and fisheries policies for 2014-2020, which aims at:

  • Promoting competitive, environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially responsible fisheries and aquaculture;
  • Fostering the implementation of the CFP;
  • Promoting a balanced and inclusive territorial development of fisheries and aquaculture areas;
  • Fostering the development and implementation of the Union’s IMP in a manner complementary to cohesion policy and to the CFP.

The EMFF is structured around 4 pillars:

  1. Smart, Green Fisheries (shared management) to foster the transition to sustainable fishing which is more selective, produces no discards, does less damage to marine ecosystems and thus contributes to the sustainable management of marine ecosystems; and to provide support focused on innovation and value added, making the fisheries sector economically viable and resilient to external shocks and to competition from third countries.
  2. Smart, Green Aquaculture (shared management) - to achieve economically viable, competitive and green aquaculture, capable of facing global competition and providing EU consumers with healthy and high nutrition value products.
  3. Sustainable and Inclusive Territorial Development (shared management) - to reverse the decline of many coastal and inland communities dependent on fishing, through adding more value to fishing and fishing related activities and through diversification to other sectors of the maritime economy.
  4. Integrated Maritime Policy (direct centralised management) to support those cross cutting priorities which generate savings and growth but which the Member States will not take forward on their own – such as marine knowledge, maritime spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management and integrated maritime surveillance, the protection of the marine environment, in particular its biodiversity, and adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change on coastal areas.


In addition to the four pillars, the EMFF will include accompanying measures: data collection and scientific advice, control, governance, fisheries markets (including outermost regions), voluntary payments to RFMOs and technical assistance.

Status
running
Target Group
Organizations
Activities
Demonstration and investment activities
Subjects
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Source Regions
European Union
Source Countries
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Eligible Regions
European Union
Eligible Countries
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Grant Types
Cooperation, collaboration
Funding Bodies
-
Languages
Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish
Support Types
-
Deadline Date
-
Programme
-
Programme Owner
Managing Authority
About
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Services
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Legal Source
Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund [repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 and Council Regulation(EC) No 861/2006 and Council Regulation No XXX/2011 on integrated ma
Supporting Programme
-
Resources
http://
Refering Grants
-
Annual
no

Focus

 

One of the aims of EMFF is supporting the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy focusing on funding projects which promote a sustainable future for the fishing industry and coastal communities. In particular, focus will be on the rebuilding of fish stocks, reducing the impact of fisheries on the marine environment, and the progressive elimination of wasteful discarding practices. It will increase investment into small scale fisheries and aquaculture as sources for future growth and will support the improvement of fisheries data collection to allow decisions to be based on robust evidence. The fund will also increase EU support to fisheries control programmes to ensure that the rules on responsible and sustainable fishing are respected and complied with.

The general objective of the EMFF is to support the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy, and to further develop the EU Integrated Maritime Policy.


Duration

2014-2020


Proposal Submission

How the EMFF works

The new Fund will be used to co-finance projects, along with national funding.

  • Each country will be allocated a share of the total Fund budget, based on the size of its fishing industry.
  • Each country will then draw up an operational programme, saying how it intends to spend the money.
  • Once the Commission approves this programme, it is up to the national authorities to decide which projects will be funded.
  • The national authorities and the Commission will be jointly responsible for the implementation of the programme
  • Supported activities

    I. Under shared management

    Sustainable development of fisheries

  • Innovation (projects aiming at developing or introducing new or substantially improved products compared to the state of art, new or improved processes, new or improved management and organisation systems.)
  • Advisory services (feasibility studies, business and marketing strategies)
  • Partnership between scientists and fishermen (network building)
  • Promoting human capital and social dialogue (lifelong learning and dissemination, dialogue, etc)
  • Facilitating diversification and job creation (business start-ups, retrofitting, skill development)
  • Health and safety on board (investments on board or in individual equipments)
  • Support to systems of transferable fishing concessions of the CFP (design, development, monitoring, evaluation)
  • Support to the implementation of conservation measures under the CFP (design, development, monitoring, evaluation)
  • Limiting the impact of fishing on the marine environment (support investments in equipment)
  • Innovation linked to the conservation of marine biological resources (developing or introducing new technical or organisational knowledge)
  • Protection and restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems in the framework of
  • Sustainable fishing activities (collection of waste, construction or installation of facilities, better management and conservation of resources)
  • Mitigation of climate change (investments on board, energy efficiency audits and schemes)
  • Product quality and use of unwanted catches (investments on board)
  • Fishing ports, landing sites and shelters (investments improving fishing port infrastructure or landing sites)
  • Inland Fishing (investments)

  • Sustainable development of aquaculture

  • Innovation (introducing new technical or organisational knowledge, developing or introducing in the market new or substantially improved products)
  • Investments in off-shore and non-food aquaculture
  • New forms of income and added value (investments)
  • Management, relief and advisory services for aquaculture farms
  • Promoting human capital and networking (lifelong learning and dissemination, dialogue, etc)
  • Increasing the potential of aquacultures sites (development of the aquaculture sites and infrastructures)
  • Encouraging new aquaculture farmers (foster entrepreneurship in aquaculture)
  • Promotion of aquaculture with high level of environmental protection (investments)
  • Conversion to eco-management and audit schemes and organic aquaculture
  • Aquaculture providing environmental services
  • Public health measures (compensation to mollusc farmers for the temporary suspension of harvesting of farmed molluscs exclusively for reasons of public health)
  • Animal health and welfare measures (foster animal health and welfare in aquaculture enterprises)
  • Aquaculture stock insurance

  • Sustainable development of fisheries areas

  • Fisheries areas, local partnerships and local development strategies (local action groups may apply for preparatory support, implementation, cooperation activities)
  • Marketing and processing related measures (production and marketing plans, storage aid, marketing measures, processing products)

  • Compensation for additional costs in outermost regions for fishery and aquaculture products
    Accompanying measures

    II. Under direct management

    Intergated maritime policy

  • studies;
  • projects, including test projects and cooperation projects;
  • public information and sharing best practice, awareness raising compaigns
  • conferences, seminars and workshops;
  • exchange of best practices, coordination activities
  • the development, operation and maintenance of IT-systems and networks
  • Accompanying measures


    Implementation

    Most of the budget is allocated under shared management. Each Member State draws up a single operational programme to implement the Union priorities to be co-financed by the EMFF that the Commission approves. Annual work programmes will set the specific objectives, results to be achieved and the method of implementation.

    Contribution to Europe 2020

    EMFF will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy under three flagship initiatives: i) a resource efficient Europe, ii) an innovation union and iii) the agenda for new skills and jobs

    Reinforced social dimension

    EMFF will promote social cohesion and job creation in fisheries dependent communities through adding more value to fisheries and through diversification into other maritime sectors.

    Environmental sustainability

    Focus on innovative, viable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture

    New impetus to the development of Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP)

    Simplification and reduction of the administrative burden

    Strategic approach: CSF andPartnership Contracts will replace the strategic approach (National Strategic Plans) introduced in the current EFF, which has serious limitationsand required a disproportionate effort for Member States receiving limited EFF funding

    Strategic programming

    EMFF focuses on CFP and IMP long-term strategic objectives including sustainable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture, consistent policy framework for the further development of IMP and balanced and inclusive territorial development of fisheries areas/

    The existing measures have been streamlined and reviewed in order to establish a strong link to environmental sustainability EMFF will support the transition to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and facilitate the gradual introduction of a discard ban through the integral approach


Terms And Conditions

Legal basis: Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund [repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 and Council Regulation(EC) No 861/2006 and Council Regulation No XXX/2011 on integrated maritime policy
Link: Proposals, Common Fisheries Policy, Website


Budget

Budget is divided by years and member states.

€7.404 billion in current prices



Total Funding Amount

€ 7.404 billion


Selection Criteria

Entities based in Member States can apply for funding from the European Fisheries Fund.


Open To

Entities based in Member States can apply for funding from the European Fisheries Fund.


Notes