8. EU aid and incentives

8.5. European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

For the 2014-2020 period, a new Fund was created for EU maritime and fishery policies known as the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and regulated in Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 15 May 2014 on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2328/2003, (EC) No 861/2006, (EC) No 1198/2006 and (EC) No 791/2007, and Regulation (EU) No 1255/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council¹⁹.

Pursuant to the aforesaid Regulation and in line with the “2020 European Strategy” and with the start-up of the Common Fisheries Policy, the Fund pursues the following priorities concerning the sustainable development of fishing and aquaculture activities and connected activities:

• Fostering environmentally sustainable, resource efficient, innovative, competitive and knowledge-based fisheries, by pursuing the following specific objectives:
  1. The reduction of the impact of fisheries on the marine environment, including the avoidance and reduction, as far as possible, of unwanted catches.
  2. The protection and restoration of aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem.
  3. The ensuring of a balance between fishing capacity and available fishing opportunities.
  4. The enhancement of the competitiveness and viability of fisheries enterprises, including small-scale coastal fleet and the improvement of safety and working conditions.
  5. The provision of support to strengthen technological development and innovation, including increasing energy efficiency and knowledge transfer.
  6. The development of professional training, new professional skills and lifelong learning.
• Fostering environmentally sustainable, resource efficient, innovative, competitive and knowledge-based aquaculture, by pursuing the following specific objectives:
  1. The provision of support to strengthen technological development, innovation and knowledge transfer.
  2. The enhancement of the competitiveness and viability of aquaculture enterprises, including the improvement of safety and working conditions, in particular of SMEs.
  3. The protection and restoration of aquatic biodiversity and the enhancement of ecosystems related to aquaculture and the promotion of resource-efficient aquaculture.
  4. The promotion of aquaculture having a high level of environmental protection, and the promotion of animal health and welfare and of public health and safety.
  5. The development of professional training, new professional skills and lifelong learning.
• Fostering the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy by pursuing the following specific objectives:
  1. The improvement and supply of scientific knowledge as well as the improvement of the collection and management of data.
  2. The provision of support for monitoring, control and for the enhancing of institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administration, without increasing the administrative burden.
• Increasing employment and territorial cohesion by pursuing the specific objective consisting of the promotion of economic grown, social inclusion and job creation, and providing support to employability and labor mobility in coastal and inland communities which depend on fishing and aquaculture, including the diversification of activities within fisheries and into other sectors of maritime economy.
• Fostering marketing and processing by pursuing the following specific objectives:
  1. The improvement of market organization for fishing and aquaculture products.
  2. The encouragement of investment in the processing and marketing sectors.
• Lastly, fostering the implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy, i.e., the Union policy whose aim is to foster coordinated and coherent decision-making to maximize the sustainable development, economic growth and social cohesion of Member States. In particular, promoting the developing of maritime industries in the coastal, insular and outermost regions in the Union, through coherent maritime-related policies and international cooperation criteria.

The EMFF had a budget of €5,749,331,600 for the shared management measures, i.e., those taken in cooperation with the Member States and in compliance with the common provisions set forth in Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.

A breakdown of allocations between the Member States is provided below:

In the case of Spain, there has been a specific Operating Program pertaining to this Fund in force since November 13, 2015, managed by the Directorate-General of Fisheries under the Secretariat-General of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with a total budget of €1,161,620,889.

The European Commission is already preparing the EMFF for the new 2021-2027 budgetary framework. In general, the proposal includes a budget of 6.14 billion euros, which will be used to attain the following objectives: (i) to promote sustainable fishing and the conservation of marine biological resources; (ii) to contribute to EU food safety through aquaculture and sustainable and competitive markets; (iii) to enable the growth of a sustainable blue economy and to develop prosperous coastal communities; and (iv) to strengthen the international governance of oceans and to guarantee protected, safe, clean and sustainably managed seas and oceans.