After the December breakdown of negotiations on the new EU maritime and fisheries fund, discussions were resumed yesterday and a deal was reached last night.
Under the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), approximately 6,5 billion EUR will be made available to support the EU’s maritime and fisheries policies. It will be absolutely instrumental in effective implementation of the recently reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with support to both sector and other stakeholders that will support the changes set out in the new basic regulation of the CFP.
This final agreement between the European Parliament and the Fisheries Council includes some positive measures, among them more funding for Member States to enhance data collection and improve control and enforcement. It also strengthens so-called cross-compliance, enabling the Commission and Member States to hold back funding to operators and/or Member States that fail to comply with the rules of the CFP.
Overall, it is a mixed outcome from an environmental point of view. The deal also includes subsidies for fishing vessel engine replacement, which may increase the capacity of vessels, as well as subsidies for temporary cessation of fishing.
– It is a great relief that subsidies for building new vessels were not brought back, as this was a great improvement to the sustainability of the fund 10 years ago. Now we have a fund that contains many possibilities to support a real change in line with the new policy, but ultimately it will be up to the Member States as they decide how to use the fund, says Niki Sporrong, Director of FISH.
– I hope they will take the opportunity to support changes improving long-term sustainabilty to the benefit of both the marine environment and employment in the EU sector.
The aim of the now concluded trilogue negotiation was to find a compromise between the Parliament’s position adopted on the 23 October and the previously agreed Council General Approach from 15 July 2013. Now that an agreement has been reached, the Member States can continue to develop their national Operational Programmes under the new fund, which will then have to be agreed with the European Commission.
There is funding available for starting trials to improve selectivity and improve gears in preparation for the new discard ban, as well as money for training fishing communities in sustainable practices. The Commission has made clear that Member States can start programming trials on selectivity, even if the formal adoption of the fund will take some further months.
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