A new report published today highlights what the five EU funds have achieved since the beginning of the funding period, as the implementation of the 2014-2020 programmes has now reached full speed.

With a coastline 7 times as long as the United States' and 4 times as long as Russia's, the EU's maritime regions are home to almost half the EU's population and account for almost half its GDP. Fisheries and the maritime economy are drivers for jobs and growth in Europe's coastal communities.

A recent independent study of the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) points to some success in supporting the fisheries sector during the past programming period (2007-2013). The evaluation also identifies areas for improvement, in particular in terms of impact and sustainability. Most of these shortcomings are already being addressed in the ongoing program, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (2014-2020).

Are you a small-scale coastal fisherman? Then we have just published a leaflet that could interest you!

The objective of this call for expressions of interest is to set up a list of external experts to support evaluation and monitoring activities of actions implemented by EASME under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (2014-2020).