(*) Key achievements in the table state which period they relate to. Many come from the implementation of the predecessor programmes under the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework. This is expected and is due to the multiannual life cycle of EU programmes and the projects they finance, where results often follow only after completion of the programmes.
Budget for 2021-2027
(million EUR)
Financial programming | 6 084.6 |
NextGenerationEU |
|
Decommitments made available again (*) | N/A |
Contributions from other countries and entities | 0.0 |
Total budget 2021-2027 | 6 084.6 |
(*) Only Article 15(3) of the financial regulation.
Rationale and design of the programme
The European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) supports the common fisheries policy, the EU maritime policy and the EU agenda for international ocean governance.
As a global ocean actor and a major producer of seafood, the EU has a responsibility to protect and sustainably use the oceans and their resources. This is also in its socioeconomic interest regarding the availability of food supplies, the competitiveness of the maritime economy and the livelihood of coastal communities.
In this respect, the EMFAF for 2021-2027 supports the common fisheries policy, the EU maritime policy and the EU’s international commitments for international ocean governance. Such support is an enabler of sustainable fisheries and the conservation of marine biological resources, of food security through the supply of seafood products, of the growth of a sustainable blue economy and of healthy, safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed seas and oceans. It also contributes to the achievement of the United Nations’ sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 (‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’), to which the EU is committed.
The EMFAF provides EU financial support for the objectives of the common fisheries policy, which seeks to manage the EU fishing fleet and fish stocks efficiently and sustainably. It also supports the implementation of the EU’s maritime policy and the strengthening of international ocean governance. A sustainable blue economy boosts investment, jobs and growth, fosters research and innovation and contributes to energy security through ocean energy. Moreover, safe and secure seas and oceans are essential for efficient border control and for the global fight against maritime crime, thereby addressing citizens’ security concerns.
The EMFAF also contributes to the implementation of the European Green Deal, and in particular the farm-to-fork strategy and the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, along with the EU strategy for adaptation to climate change.
The EMFAF supports the common fisheries policy, the EU maritime policy and the EU agenda for international ocean governance under the following four priorities:
- fostering sustainable fisheries and the restoration and conservation of aquatic biological resources;
- fostering sustainable aquaculture activities and processing and marketing fisheries and aquaculture products, thus contributing to food security in the EU;
- enabling a sustainable blue economy in coastal, island and inland areas and fostering the development of fishing and aquaculture communities;
- strengthening international ocean governance and enabling seas and oceans to be safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed.
The EMFAF also contributes to the implementation of the European Green Deal, and in particular to the farm-to-fork strategy and the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, including their external dimension, but also for the preparation of the EU strategy for adaptation to climate change.
The EMFAF regulation defines four distinct priorities for the programme.
Under priority 1, the EMFAF should ensure that fishing activities are environmentally sustainable in the long term and managed in a way that is consistent with the objectives of achieving economic, social and employment benefits and of contributing to the availability of food supplies. In particular, it aims to achieve and maintain sustainable fishing based on the maximum sustainable yield and to minimise the negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem. This support includes innovation and investment in low-impact, climate-resilient and low-carbon fishing practices and techniques.
Under priority 2, the fund may support the promotion of sustainable aquaculture and the marketing, quality and added value of fishery and aquaculture products, along with the processing of these products.
Under priority 3, it may support action that contributes to enabling sustainable blue economies in coastal, island and inland areas and to fostering the sustainable development of fishing and aquaculture communities.
Under priority 4, the EMFAF may support actions to strengthen international ocean governance and enable safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed seas and oceans through the promotion of marine knowledge, maritime surveillance and coastguard cooperation.
The EMFAF runs from 2021 to 2027 and supports the EU common fisheries policy, the EU maritime policy and the EU agenda for international ocean governance.
It provides support for developing innovative projects ensuring that aquatic and maritime resources are used sustainably.
As a global ocean actor and a major producer of seafood, the EU has a responsibility to protect and sustainably use the oceans and their resources. It is also in the EU’s socioeconomic interest to guarantee the availability of food supplies, the competitiveness of the maritime economy and the livelihood of coastal communities.
The fund helps achieve sustainable fisheries and conserve marine biological resources. This leads to food security through the supply of seafood products, the growth of a sustainable blue economy and healthy, safe and sustainably managed seas and oceans. It also helps achieve the UN’s SDG 14 (‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’), to which the EU is committed. Furthermore, the EMFAF helps fulfil the objectives of the European Green Deal, the road map for the EU’s climate and environmental policies.
The EMFAF is managed mainly under shared management (87% of the budget allocation), under the rules of the common provisions regulation(1). Thus, the EMFAF shares common rules with the other EU Structural and Investment Funds covered by the regulation, providing for common objectives, principles and rules relating to planning, programming, monitoring and reporting. The EMFAF further specifies details within this framework, including the common result indicators, types of interventions and climate coefficients that must be used when planning and reporting.
The remaining part of the financial envelope (13%) is implemented through direct or indirect management modes. The direct management part of the fund is either managed directly by the European Commission or delegated to an executive agency. This part of the fund finances common-fisheries-policy-related projects, market intelligence, scientific advice, a sustainable blue economy and international ocean governance, along with contributions to international organisations or to the functioning of the advisory councils. The budget under direct management has the same set of common result indicators and principles as shared management, to allow full and consistent reporting on the achievements of the EMFAF as a whole.
(1) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy.
The EMFAF builds on the experience of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for 2014-2020, with a simplified structure, giving Member States more control and with a new focus on strengthening international ocean governance.
Programme website:
Impact assessment:
- the impact assessment for the Commission’s proposal for the 2021-2027 EMFF was carried out in 2018;
- for further information please consult: https://europa.eu/!Un66pR.
Relevant regulation:
Evaluations:
- the Commission will carry out an ex post evaluation of the EMFF by the end of 2024 to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the fund and its contribution to the EU strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth;
- the Commission will also carry out a midterm evaluation of the EMFAF by the end of 2024 to examine the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of the fund.
Budget
Budget programming (million EUR):
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial programming | 109.1 | 1 134.4 | 1 103.1 | 1 070.2 | 982.5 | 836.5 | 848.9 | 6 084.6 |
NextGenerationEU | ||||||||
Decommitments made available again (*) | N/A | |||||||
Contributions from other countries and entities | 0.0 | 0.0 | p.m. | p.m. | p.m. | p.m. | p.m. | 0.0 |
Total | 109.1 | 1 134.4 | 1 103.1 | 1 070.2 | 982.5 | 836.5 | 848.9 | 6 084.6 |
(*) Only Article 15(3) of the financial regulation.
Financial programming:
- EUR 23.4 million (- 0%)
compared to the legal basis*
* Top-ups pursuant to Article 5 of the multiannual financial framework regulation are excluded from financial programming in this comparison.
Though the financial envelope in the adopted EMFAF legal act is EUR 6 108 million, EUR 26 million has been diverted to finance the needs of the European Fisheries Control Agency.
Budget performance – implementation
Multiannual cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):
Implementation | 2021-2027 Budget | Implementation rate | |
---|---|---|---|
Commitments | 1 237.9 | 6 084.6 | 20.4% |
Payments | 121.4 | 2.0% |
Annual voted budget implementation (million EUR)(1):
Commitments | Payments | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Voted budget implementation | Initial voted budget | Voted budget implementation | Initial voted budget | |
2021 | 106.5 | 760.7 | 11.1 | 53.0 |
2022 | 1 131.4 | 971.9 | 109.8 | 111.7 |
(1) Voted appropriations (C1) only.
- With regard to shared management, the EMFAF regulation and the common provisions regulation were both adopted in mid 2021. In total, 25 of the 26 EMFAF programmes of the Member States were adopted by the end of 2022, with commitment and pre-financing in the same year. The total amount committed in 2022 under shared management was EUR 1 billion. By the end of 2022, a total of EUR 53 million had been paid to the Member States representing pre-financing for the 25 EMFAF programmes.
- The 26th and final EMFAF programme was adopted in March 2023, completing the adoption process.
- The EMFAF programming process was also slowed by the delayed work on partnership agreements, the emphasis given to the preparation of Recovery and Resilience Facility plans and the focus of the most impacted Member States on Brexit Adjustment Reserve support.
- The successful implementation of fisheries, aquaculture and maritime policies and the development of coastal communities continue, as Member States also remain focused on the disbursement of EMFF financing.
- When it comes to EMFAF direct/indirect management, 100% of the budgetary appropriations have been implemented as provided for in the adopted budget, thus achieving all of the objectives of the underlying work programmes. This has resulted in various initiatives being launched in the fields of maritime policy, scientific advice, international ocean governance, voluntary contributions to regional fisheries organisations and contributions to the initiatives managed by the United Nations agencies. The multiannual financial programming for the period until 2027 provides for a horizontal financing trend, with no big fluctuations.
Contribution to horizontal priorities
Green budgeting
Contribution to green budgeting priorities (million EUR):
Implementation | Estimates | Total contribution | % of the 2021–2027 budget | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | |||
Climate mainstreaming | 35.3 | 598.3 | 586.3 | 566.0 | 517.3 | 436.3 | 442.8 | 3 182.4 | 52% |
Biodiversity mainstreaming | 52.5 | 339.0 | 330.9 | 320.9 | 296.7 | 256.1 | 259.5 | 1 855.7 | 30% |
Clean air | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% |
- The amounts concerning the EMFAF horizontal priorities (climate change mitigation, biodiversity, digital and gender equality) were calculated as a percentage of the annual amounts committed in 2021 and 2022; for 2023-2027 the amounts were calculated based on the annual appropriations in the EMFAF multiannual financial plan. The methodology set out in Annex IV to the EMFAF regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/1139) was applied to calculate the amounts for climate change mitigation. A Commission-wide horizontal methodology based on similar principles was applied to biodiversity(1) see DG Environment, European Commission, Biodiversity Financing and Tracking: Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022), digital and gender.
- As the majority of Member States’ EMFAF programmes were only adopted at the very end of 2022, the related initiatives will only be launched as of the beginning of 2023.
- Reflecting the importance of tackling climate change in line with the EU’s commitments to implement the Paris Agreement, and the commitment to the United Nations’ SDGs, the initiatives under the EMFAF should contribute to achieving the target of 30% of all multiannual financial framework expenditure being spent on mainstreaming climate objectives. The fund should also contribute to the ambition of providing 7.5% of annual spending under the multiannual financial framework to biodiversity objectives in 2024 and 10% of annual spending under the multiannual financial framework to biodiversity objectives in 2026 and 2027, while considering the existing overlaps between climate and biodiversity goals. The contribution of the EMFAF to EU climate and environmental objectives is tracked through the application of environmental and climate markers and reported on regularly within the monitoring framework of the fund.
- These objectives should be met quite comfortably. Based on currently available data from the Member State programmes, 55% (EUR 2 923 506 548) of the amount allocated to the EMFAF covers the climate change objective (coverage by Member State ranges from 41% to 77%). For biodiversity objectives, the corresponding coverage is 28% (EUR 1 482 917 689), ranging from 14% to 56% at Member State level.
- The amount allocated to EMFAF operational expenditure under direct and indirect management for climate change represents EUR 258 878 672 (for the 2021-2027 programming period). For biodiversity, the amount allocated represents EUR 372 800 845 (for the same period).
- No EMFAF data are available in respect of clean air.
(1) See Biodiversity Financing and Tracking: Final report, available at https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/793eb6ec-dbd6-11ec-a534-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-258471562.
Gender
Contribution to gender equality (million EUR) (*):
Gender score | 2021 | 2022 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 106.5 | 1 110.8 | 1 217.3 |
0* | - | 20.6 | 20.6 |
(*) Based on the applied gender contribution methodology, the following scores are attributed at the most granular level of intervention possible:
- 2: interventions the principal objective of which is to improve gender equality;
- 1: interventions that have gender equality as an important and deliberate objective but not as the main reason for the intervention;
- 0: non-targeted interventions (interventions that are expected to have no significant bearing on gender equality);
- 0*: score to be assigned to interventions with a likely but not yet clear positive impact on gender equality.
- A score of 0* is assigned.
- The contribution to gender equality is estimated at EUR 106 500 000 under the EMFAF (2021-2027 programming period).
- Fishing and fish processing are male-dominated activities in Europe(1). Men provide the main labour on board fishing vessels, and the majority of fishing boats and aquaculture farms are owned by men(2).
- However, women play an important role in the fisheries sector, especially in small-scale family businesses. Either they are involved in the fishing activity itself, on board or on foot as shellfish gatherers, or they support the business through onshore activities such as fishing-gear preparation and maintenance, transporting fish to auctions, sales, administration, logistics or even the development of tourist activities(3). This work is not always recognised. According to a study(4) for the European Commission, the share of unpaid women in fisheries (6.6%) is almost double their share in total employment (3.8%). However, this level of employment is an underestimate, as the existing statistical data shows employment within the fisheries sector only if this employment is declared and remunerated.
- Gender inequality in the fisheries sector is influenced by a set of factors(5), which are as follows:
- participation of women and men in fisheries subsectors;
- women’s invisible work in the fisheries sector;
- women’s participation in decision-making.
- The EU’s fisheries policy promotes sustainable fish stocks and sustainable marine ecosystems as a precondition for a competitive European fishing industry. Although the gender equality dimension is not present in the EMFAF in the form of gender-specific objectives and measurable gender commitments, the fund covers broader gender-related aspects in line with the equality provisions set out in the common provisions regulation.
- Furthermore, in accordance with Article 46 of the EMFAF regulation on the monitoring and evaluation framework, the managing authority will provide the Commission with relevant operation-level implementation data, including key characteristics of the beneficiary (name, type of beneficiary, size of enterprise, gender and contact details). Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/79 sets out the format: for each operation, a specific data field covering gender for natural persons must be filled in. One code must be selected from a list. This ex post submission can be used to estimate an approximate financial contribution relevant to gender and to identify examples of operations Member States consider to be gender relevant in the area of fisheries, in line with the relevant requirements of the common provisions regulation. The current score of 0* will be reassessed as such data become available.
(1) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2014-0070_EN.html?redirect.
(2) https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/policy-areas/maritime-affairs-and-fisheries.
(3) https://epthinktank.eu/2021/10/15/women-in-fisheries/.
(4) https://stecf.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/43805/2485408/STECF+19-03+-+Social+data+in+EU+fisheries+sector.pdf/401568fd-3e48-4ddf-aabf-801cea045dce.
(5) https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/policy-areas/maritime-affairs-and-fisheries.
Digital
Contribution to digital transition (million EUR):
2021 | 2022 | Total | % of the total 2021-2027 implementation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Digital contribution | 4.5 | 95.1 | 99.6 | 8% |
- The digital contribution envisaged for the EMFAF programmes amounts to EUR 464 million, or 9%, of the total allocation to the Member States (for the 2021-2027 programming period). The digital contribution relating to EMFAF operational expenditure under direct and indirect management is estimated at EUR 30 million (for the same period).
Budget performance – outcomes
Baseline | Progress (*) | Target (**) | Results (**) | Assessment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Businesses created | 0 | N/A | 491 in 2029 | No results | No data |
Jobs maintained | 0 | N/A | 17 266 in 2029 | No results | No data |
Persons benefitting | 0 | N/A | No data | No results | No data |
Actions contributing to Good Environmental Status; including nature restoration, conservation, protection of ecosystems, biodiversity, animal health and welfare | 0 | N/A | 22 010 in 2029 | No results | No data |
Energy consumption leading to CO2 emissions reduction | 0 | N/A | 16 500 in 2029 | No results | No data |
Number of small and medium-sized enterprises supported | 0 | N/A | 14 000 in 2029 | No results | No data |
Number of small-scale coastal fisheries vessels supported | 0 | N/A | 7 000 in 2029 | No results | No data |
(*) % of target achieved by the end of 2022.
(**) The target and the results presented in the table correspond to only shared management.
Link to file with complete set of EU core performance indicators
- With regard to shared management, it will be possible to provide more meaningful performance assessments in future performance progress statements. By the end of 2022, 25 of the 26 EMFAF programmes had been adopted. As the adoption of the majority of them only happened at the very end of 2022, the actual operations will only begin in 2023. EMFF operations continue to be executed, however, which ensures the continuity of the policy achievements.
- With regard to direct and indirect management, as the initiatives implemented since 2021 provide for smooth continuity from the EMFF to and throughout the EMFAF, the following assessment covers both EMFF and EMFAF activities without distinction.
- Priority 1 (fostering sustainable fisheries and the restoration and conservation of aquatic biological resources). Voluntary contributions to regional fisheries management organisations assisted in the development of scientific knowledge and science-based management decisions, promoted compliance and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and further improved the impact of partner international organisations’ performance in operations. The provision of scientific advice has been ensured by renewing the various contractual and administrative arrangements in place with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries and the Joint Research Centre.
- Priority 2 (fostering sustainable aquaculture activities and processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products, thus contributing to food security in the EU). The Commission has financed several initiatives, including a new aquaculture assistance mechanism, which created (in 2022) and maintains the EU Aquaculture website(1) as a central repository and one-stop-shop for knowledge of and support for aquaculture in the EU. It also awarded a contract for the continuation of the operations of the European Market Observatory for fisheries and Aquaculture Products, which enables data collection, reports, studies and market analysis, dissemination and communication activities for fisheries and aquaculture sectors by the EU. These initiatives are ongoing and continuously provide the Commission and our stakeholders with relevant data, analyses and advice focusing on economic operational and social aspects of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of its operators and the maritime economy, fully achieving their objectives.
- Priority 3 (enabling a sustainable blue economy in coastal, island and inland areas and fostering the development of fishing and aquaculture communities). In 2023, the fund will finance cross-border maritime spatial planning projects in the EU, with the goal of supporting the adaptation of Member States’ maritime spatial plans to new needs and challenges, in particular integrating into their plans the European Green Deal and related initiatives in areas such as biodiversity, food, energy and mobility. By launching the Blue Forum for sea users at the end of 2022, the Commission aims to increase stakeholder involvement in maritime spatial planning and coordinate the dialogue between stakeholders in different blue economy sectors in order to develop synergies between their activities and reconcile competing uses of the sea. In 2022, a new assistance mechanism to support regional cooperation in the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean was launched to continue supporting the implementation of the three EU sea basin strategies, building on best practices and lessons learned from the past service contracts and encouraging synergies between the different sea basins. During the same period, the programme renewed support for the ocean literacy initiative EU4Ocean, and also, through indirect management by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, supported ocean literacy at the international level. Through calls for proposals published in 2022, it will award grants to projects relating to ‘blue careers’, aiming to further support skills associated with the sustainable development of the blue economy, and ‘women in the blue economy’, targeting gender inequalities in the different sectors of the blue economy (the supported projects are to start in the second half of 2023). The Commission also launched a call for regional flagship projects to support cooperation on EU sea basins, expected to start in summer 2023 and covering several topics, notably:
- fisheries diversification in the Atlantic sea-basin;
- marine pollution in the Black Sea;
- sustainable transport, ports and maritime clusters for sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean;
- sustainable maritime and coastal tourism in outermost regions; and
- regenerative ocean farming in the Baltic Sea region.
- In 2022, the Commission also financed a new initiative in the area of the blue economy called the ‘blue economy observatory’, which has recently become operational and will continue to provide relevant economic analysis, data and knowledge in the years to come.
- The fund continued to support investment in the sustainable blue economy in the EU, in particular via the BlueInvest platform, which provides investment readiness and fundraising assistance to innovative blue-economy small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.
- Additionally, since 2021, an annual EMFAF contribution has enabled a blended thematic financial instrument for a sustainable blue economy under the InvestEU programme, which is expected to leverage substantial equity investments for European blue-economy entrepreneurs by 2027.
- Most of the initiatives under this priority have started recently, and will be rolled out in the medium term, which does not allow for a meaningful assessment of their achievements and performance at this point. However, as regards the continuation of existing activities, significant and positive results have already been achieved. Some examples of these achievements are as follows: providing investment readiness assistance and support to dozens of innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups in the blue economy and connecting them with prospective investors; successful and continued support for regional cooperation in the Atlantic, Black Sea and Western Mediterranean via sea basin strategies; contributions to ocean literacy and the promotion of sustainable management of the ocean via EU4Ocean coalition. Where relevant, all these new or continued EMFAF initiatives build on previous achievements and lessons learnt.
- Priority 4 (strengthening international ocean governance and enabling seas and oceans to be safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed). The programme continued to promote the objectives of the international ocean governance agenda by providing support to international organisations, regional and sectoral bodies and entities that are active in promoting the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. The initiatives in particular strengthened the engagement of the EU in the Arctic region and in the EU Ocean Partnership with Canada. They also targeted important scientific gaps identified through work and policies on the deep seas. For the first time, a BlueInvest Africa event was organised as a matchmaking event between African entrepreneurs active in blue-economy sectors and investors. The continued support provided for the development and maintenance of the European Marine Observation and Data Network has resulted in steady progress in terms of users and products since 2018, reaching the level of an operational service and making the network a valuable EU asset, offering thousands of datasets across seven thematic disciplines (bathymetry, biology, chemistry, geology, seabed habitats, physics and human activities) to a variety of users. In July 2022, the Commission received and accepted the final report for the project ‘Promotion of interoperability between industry and competent authorities in the European maritime single window (EMSW) environment under the CISE process’. The interoperability project has achieved its objectives to enable a more efficient data exchange and sharing of port documentation, enhance connectivity between relevant authorities and end-users, develop specific interoperability solution contributing to the development of a European maritime single window environment, and improve ship-to-shore information exchanges using the latest communications technology (VDE-SAT). In October 2022, a grant was awarded to a consortium of eight Member States to develop new pre-operational services for the common information sharing environment, such as ‘vessel of interest’ and ‘incident alerting service’. The project is ongoing and promising, with the trials expected to start during the second quarter of 2024 and the final results expected to be delivered by October 2024.
MFF 2014-2020 – European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
The EMFF is the fund for the EU's maritime and fisheries policies for 2014 to 2020, and is one of the five complementary European Structural and Investment Funds promoting a growth- and jobs-based recovery in the EU. The fund helps fishers in the transition to sustainable fishing, supports coastal communities in diversifying their economies, finances projects that create new jobs and improve quality of life along EU coasts and makes it easier for applicants to access financing.
Budget
Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):
Implementation | 2014-2020 Budget | Implementation rate | |
---|---|---|---|
Commitments | 6 368.7 | 6 381.6 | 99.8% |
Payments | 4 113.7 | 64.5% |
- By the end of December 2020, all appropriations available under the EMFF had been successfully committed. As of January 2021, no further commitments were possible for the EMFF. The implementation of the programme was at full speed in 2022, in terms of both the part of the fund executed under direct management action and the part implemented by the Member States.
- In 2021 (the most recent year for which complete validated data are available on the shared management implementation), the pace of implementation at the level of the Member States increased again: EUR 843 million was committed to specific initiatives in that year (up from EUR 797 million in 2020 and EUR 661 million in 2019). Cumulatively, EUR 4.9 billion in EMFF funding has been committed by the Member States, corresponding to 86% of the EUR 5.7 billion shared management portfolio. Payments claimed by beneficiaries continued to advance, and reached EUR 3.1 billion (or 55% of the total shared management funding for the EMFF). These sums concern approximately 89 000 operations. DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries continues to monitor the implementation closely and encourages the Member States to accelerate the fund absorption.
- As regards shared management, cumulative EMFF net payments by the Commission to Member States totalled EUR 3.67 billion. This represents 65% of the total amount allocated to the programmes, and shows progress from the position at the end of 2021 (53%).
The cumulative EMFF amount decommitted between 2018 and 2022 totals EUR 131.6 million.
Baseline | Progress | Target | Results | Assessment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Value of aquaculture production in the EU (billion EUR) | 0 (2) | 88% (1,2) | EUR 4.43 billion in 2022 (excluding the United Kingdom) | EUR 3.9 billion compared to target of EUR 4.43 billion | On track |
Number of small-scale coastal fishing vessels supported | 0 | N/A | N/A | 7 516 | No data |
Number of SMEs supported | 0 | N/A | N/A | 69 585 | No data |
Level of employment maintained with support from the EMFF (number of jobs) | 0 | 96% (3) | 41 665 in 2023 | 40 056 jobs compared to target of 41 665 | On track |
(1) % of target achieved by the end of 2020.
(2) Value of aquaculture annual production in the EU in 2013 was EUR 3.85 billion. The baseline is considered to be zero for the calculation of progress towards the target.
(3) % of target achieved by the end of 2021.
Link to file with complete set of EU core performance indicators
Local strategies – unchanged.
- The challenges posed by COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have not prevented an increase in jobs maintained (both actual and planned) in the aquaculture sector. The EMFF regulation was modified twice to provide exceptional crisis support to the operators from the seafood supply chain.
- For initiatives implemented under direct and indirect management, see the ‘Performance assessment’ section for the EMFAF above.
- The initiatives under shared management continue to help improve the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture, to maintain and protect the natural environment, to encourage innovation and the adoption of new technology and to increase cooperation and partnerships between businesses, thus contributing to the achievement of these objectives. Examples are provided below.
- For the objective of promoting competitive, environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially responsible fisheries and aquaculture, the programme financed:
- development of a closed aquaculture technology to produce tilapia and catfish, two species of high commercial value and with lower production impact on the environment. Working with a traditional farming sector, this company provides a diversification option for farmers and is a driver for smart and sustainable economic development in land-based areas; and
- development of an automated monitoring tool to quantify the freshness of seafood.
- For the objective of fostering the implementation of the common fisheries policy, examples of operations include a project to create an autonomous vessel and survey platform that would significantly reduce the need for manpower and use of large vessels in the future, and the use of an app enabling vessel owners, fishers, skippers and crew to easily access all the daily expiry and sales alerts for their vessels in near real time. They can check in advance the average selling price of each species in each fish auction participating in the project, and balance their catches against their available quotas. The app also provides access to important general information such as the scientific names of species, allowable sizes, prohibited species and closed seasons.
- For the objective of promoting a balanced and inclusive territorial development of fisheries and aquaculture areas, the programme financed a project which is helping preserve a small-scale heritage fishery while also supporting regional development and environmental initiatives.
- For the objective of promoting competitive, environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially responsible fisheries and aquaculture, the programme financed:
- For the objective of fostering the development and implementation of the EU’s integrated maritime policy in a manner complementary to cohesion policy and the common fisheries policy, the programme financed a study covering the effect of marine traffic on underwater noise, and a research project to identify sources of litter in the marine environment and their status, with the aim of reducing litter. This project has fed into the marine strategy framework directive.
Sustainable development goals
Contribution to the sustainable development goals
SDGs the programme contributes to | Example |
---|---|
SDG1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere |
See below |
SDG2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture |
See below |
SDG5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls |
See below |
SDG14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development |
See below |
SDG 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere
The EMFF contributes to SDG 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere), by: contributing to the improvements of the economic results of the EU fisheries sector, and to the improvements of the living standards of the coastal populations which depend on that sector; allowing operators to modernise their productive tools, to diversify their sources of income or to switch to alternative economic activities.
An illustrative example appears below.
Topic | Member States | Project information | Description | Contribution to the topic |
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SDG 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere | Denmark | A label for sustainable coastal fisheries 208 443 EUR 2019-2022 |
The organisation behind the project is the Danish producer organisation Foreningen for Skånsomt Kystfiskeri (FSK; Association of Low-Impact Small-Scale Coastal Fishers). FSK and its members want to ensure that the label is a success and that it benefits small-scale coastal fishers as much as possible. Their main goal is to ensure the future of Denmark’s small-scale, low-impact coastal fishery and create better access to the market for sustainably caught fish. | The label helps small-scale coastal fishers and thereby helps maintaining the coastal communities. |
SDG 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
By promoting the conservation of the marine living resources and the protection of the marine ecosystem, the EMFF contributes to the sustainability of the production of the EU fisheries sector of healthy quality food, and thus to SDG 2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture) and SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages).
An illustrative example appears below.
Topic | Member State | Project information | Description | Contribution to the topic |
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SDG 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture | Italy | Don’t discard, just retain and promote: innovation in fisheries can make good use of unavoidable unwanted catches. 50 000 EUR 2019-2020 |
Create an innovative value chain from the landing of the unwanted catches to their transformation into innovative food products suitable for human consumption or as ingredients for the feed, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Based on a study of the unwanted catches, the team developed ready-to-eat foods. They also studied the possibility of using the undersized fish to make food additives or nutraceuticals. | In the Campania region of Italy many coastal fishers find non-target and unwanted catches in their nets. These unwanted catches are a mix of species with low or no commercial value, specimens damaged during fishing operations, and species without a quota. They can still be sold, but at times they can be undesirable or unusable for regulatory and economic reasons, and in the worst-case scenario they are thrown back into the sea. Almost all the species with very low or no market value are not considered by the regulation, yet they represent a high proportion of catches in some mixed fisheries, where many different species are likely to be caught in the same fishing operation. This project looks for a way to make use of the discards while improving nutritional values. |
SDG 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Please see the section on gender equality above.
SDG 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
The main objective of the EMFF is to support the implementation of the common fisheries policy and the integrated maritime policy, thereby contributing first and foremost to SDG 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development). The EMFF funds projects on preserving the marine environment and ensuring better resource efficiency, and operations related to better management of Natura 2000 areas.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identified conservation and sustainable use of oceans as one of the 17 SDGs (SDG 14). The EU is fully committed to that goal and its implementation. In that context, it has committed to promote a sustainable blue economy which is consistent with maritime spatial planning, the conservation of biological resources and the achievement of good environmental status, to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, to eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and to refrain from introducing new such subsidies.
Some illustrative examples appear below.
Topic | Member State | Project information | Description | Contribution to the topic |
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SDG 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development | Sweden | Sustainable fisheries management 69 709 EUR 2018-2020 |
A co-management scheme which has given the various stakeholders a platform for dialogue and has had a significant impact on the purpose of the national park. The overall aim of the co-management is to achieve sustainable coastal fishing in biologically important areas, while promoting socioeconomic development and cultural heritage among the coastal communities. Fishers, officials and researchers have received training to better understand each other. | Adaptive and sustainable fishing patterns are maintained. Economically beneficial conditions for local fishers strengthen local traditions and identity. Successful conservation of marine resources coexists with maintenance of traditional fisheries. Learning crosses the boundaries of traditional disciplines: biological experts learn about fishery methods, and fishers learn about the need to conserve valuable habitats and species. |
Spain | Mar das Illas 85 229 EUR 2017-2020 |
The ‘Mar das Illas’ cooperation project sees three FLAGs in the Pontevedra province working together to support local fishers and families in their entrepreneurial efforts focused on marine and pesca-tourism. | The Marine and Land National Park of the Atlantic Islands is one of the main tourist attractions in the Pontevedra area and key to the local economy. Over time, several artisanal fisheries and shellfish gathering activities have been developed. While these fisheries are still viable, as environmental standards become more important diversification into other sectors is now a priority for maintaining the local economy. There is tremendous commitment to maintaining the area’s marine and fishing culture. Fishers and their families are often at the forefront of protecting the region’s environment, and are ambassadors for its natural, cultural, and gastronomic values. ‘Mar das Illas’ helps new start-up businesses that give fishers’ earnings a boost, while also ensuring the continuity of traditional fishing practices and diversification into pesca-tourism. Mar das Illas also tried to increase the visibility and local awareness of the natural environment and its conservation. |