The fund

• helps fishermen 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 European coasts
• makes it easier for applicants to access financing.

Financial allocation per member state

The Fund is used to co-finance projects, along with national funding.

• Each country is allocated a share of the total Fund budget, based on the size of its fishing industry.
• Each country then draws 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 are jointly responsible for the implementation of the programme.

How to access EMFF funding

To see if your project is eligible for EMFF support:

• First check with the national authority in charge of managing the operational programme in your country.
• Then follow the relevant application procedures so that the managing authority can check the eligibility of your project and whether it meets the relevant selection criteria and investment priorities.

The EMFF supports small-scale coastal fishermen

EU countries may provide support, under preferential conditions, to their small-scale fishermen, for example to:

• invest in first own fishing boat, new engines, new gear, or on-board equipment
• invest in health, safety, training and human resources
• invest in fisheries conservation and stock rebuilding
• benefit from collective projects, advisory services, innovations, etc

The leaflet lists these options and the relevant preferential conditions.

Contact the EMFF managing authority in your home country to find out which of these options are available to you

The Common Provisions Regulation

In December 2013, to maximize the effectiveness of European Structural and Investment (ESI) funds (which include the financial instruments for cohesion policy, rural development and fisheries), the Council adopted the Common Provisions Regulation ((EU) No 1303/2013). This regulation sets out a common set of rules for all ESI funds. This includes provisions concerning conditionality, performance review, arrangements for monitoring, reporting, evaluation and eligibility rules.

More information

• Financial allocation per member state
• Adopted EMFF Operational Programmes
• Committee and Expert Group on the EMFF - guidance documents
• Questions and answers
• Community-led local development (CLLD)
• Synergies and coordination with other funds
• Assessment of climate action
• Potential for climate action
• European Structural and Investment Funds: guidance (Regional policy website)
• European Structural and Investment Funds, Common Provisions Regulation: legal texts (Regional policy website)
• Contacts
• FAME – Fisheries and Aquaculture Monitoring and Evaluation under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)
• Ex-post evaluation of the European Fisheries Fund (2007-2013)
• Infographic:

Legal texts

Basic regulation

• REGULATION (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

Commission implementing acts (decisions and regulations) deriving from the EMFF

• Summary table

Commission implementing decisions

• 2014/372/EU: Commission Implementing Decision setting out the annual breakdown by Member State of the global resources of the EMFF available in the framework of shared management
• 2014/464/EU: Commission Implementing Decision of 15 July 2014 identifying the priorities of the Union for enforcement and control policy in the framework of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Commission implementing regulations

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 763/2014 laying down the technical characteristics of information and publicity measures and instructions for creating the Union emblem
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 771/2014 on the model for operational programmes, the structure of the plans for the compensation to outermost regions and the model for the transmission of certain information to be submitted under the EMFF.
  • Corrigendum to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 771/2014 published on 3.2.2016
  • Corrigendum to HR linguistic version published on 25.4.2015
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 772/2014 of 14 July 2014 laying down the rules on intensity of public aid to be applied to the total eligible expenditure of certain operations financed under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1242/2014 laying down rules pursuant to the EMFF Regulation with regard to the presentation of relevant cumulative data on operations
  • Corrigendum to ES, IT, HU, LT and MT linguistic versions published on 18.6.2015
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014 on the information to be sent by Member States, as well as on data needs and synergies between potential data sources
  • Corrigendum to all linguistic versions published on 22.8.2015
  • Amendment - Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/788 of 8 May 2017
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1362/2014 on the simplified procedure for the approval of amendments to operational programmes as well as the format and presentation of the annual reports on the implementation of those programmes

Commission implementing acts deriving from the CPR

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 184/2014 on the terms and conditions applicable to the electronic data exchange system between the Member States and the Commission (SFC2014) and the nomenclature of the categories of intervention for programmes under the ETC goal
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 215/2014 on methodologies for climate change support, the performance framework and the nomenclature of categories of intervention for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Goal
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1232/2014 amending the Regulation on methodologies for climate change support in order to adapt to the EMFF Regulation.
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 821/2014 on the transfer and management of programme contributions, the reporting on financial instruments, information and communication measures and the system to record and store data
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 964/2014 on standard terms and conditions for financial instruments (off-the-shelf financial instruments)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 1011/2014 on the models for submission of information to the Commission and the rules concerning the exchanges of information between beneficiaries and managing authorities, certifying authorities, audit authorities and intermediate bodies
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/207 on the models for the progress report, submission of the information on a major project, the joint action plan, the implementation reports for the IGJ goal, the management declaration, the audit strategy, the audit opinion and the annual control report, the methodology for carrying out the cost-benefit analysis and the implementation reports for the ETC goal
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1974 on the setting out of the frequency and the format of the reporting of irregularities, under Regulation (EU) 1303/2013

Delegated acts

• • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/288 of 17 December 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund with regard to the period of time and the dates for the inadmissibility of applications
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2252 of 30 September 2015 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/288 as regards the period of inadmissibility of applications for support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
  • Commission Delegated Regulation on the common monitoring and evaluation system for EMFF funded operations (annex: list of common indicators in the EMFF)
    • Corrigendum to the annex of the Delegated Act (list of common indicators) - 3/12/2014
    • Corrigendum to the annex of the Delegated Act (list of common indicators) - 7/10/2015
  • Commission Delegated Regulation on the calculation criteria for additional costs in the compensation plan for outermost regions
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/531 of 24 November 2014 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council by identifying the costs eligible for support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in order to improve hygiene, health, safety and working conditions of fishermen, protect and restore marine biodiversity and ecosystems, mitigate climate change and increase the energy efficiency of fishing vessels
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/616 of 13 February 2015 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) No 480/2014 as regards references therein to Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/852 of 27 March 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the cases of non-compliance and the cases of serious non-compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy that may lead to an interruption of a payment deadline or suspension of payments under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/895 of 2 February 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund as regards transitional provisions
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2015/1930 on the criteria for establishing the level of financial corrections and for applying flat rate financial corrections, and amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 665/2008.

Delegated acts from the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) that affect the EMFF

• Commission Delegated Regulation on the code of conduct in the framework of the European Structural and Investment Funds
• Commission Delegated Regulation on provisions supplementing Part Two, Three and Four of CPR (Regulation (EU) No. 1303/2013)
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1970 of 08 July 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with specific provisions on the reporting of irregularities concerning the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund