The Commission, the Council and the Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for the period of 2021-2027.
Miquel Ferrés from Palamós, Catalonia, is a fisherman and a keen sportsman. While fishing on his trawler, he came to realise that his nets were collecting the same kind of litter that he would see on the beach during his running sessions. He decided to take action for the well-being of the seas by combining two of his great interests: doing sports and taking care of the marine environment.
Marine litter including abandoned fishing nets - also known as ghost nets - are a serious threat to marine ecosystems. In the EU, an estimated 20% of fishing gear is lost at sea, accounting for nearly a third of marine litter in European seas. The EU-funded and award-winning Redcycle project found a way to address the problem: giving old and abandoned fishing nets a new life by transforming them into high-quality fabrics to be used in technical clothing.
Yesterday, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission reached a provisional agreement on legislation that would allow fishermen and -women affected by the dire condition of certain fish stocks in the Baltic Sea to leave the fishing sector with the financial support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), received under specific conditions.
Following the unprecedented outbreak of the coronavirus, the European Commission has taken swift action to protect the fisheries and aquaculture sectors from severe shocks by introducing specific measures, including amendments to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
Following the unprecedented outbreak of the coronavirus, the European Commission has taken rapid action to protect the fisheries and aquaculture sectors from severe shocks by introducing specific measures, including amendments to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
In a press conference today, Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, explained the Commission’s decision to increase the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) with €500 million.
Our Story of the month comes from Senegal in West Africa, where the European Union supports women’s employment, building on traditional knowledge, and supports local fishermen while sustainably managing fisheries resources, especially octopus.
The 2018 implementation report of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) is now available. It summarises EMFF implementation across EU countries and sea basins according to specific topics during the period 2014-2018. The report is based on data provided by the Member States in 2019, covering the period from January 2014 to December 2018.
On 28 November, Commission President von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament and paid tribute to the millions of Europeans who “are taking action because it is the right thing to do. There are those who work hard to strengthen their communities. (…) People who want to make a difference. And we too, Parliament, Council and Commission, we must make a difference.”
For 25 years now, the EU has been empowering citizens and local communities throughout Europe to engage in regional development. A conference will take place in Brussels on 3-4 December2019 to exchange best practices and highlight current successes of “community-led local development (CLLD)” and look to the future. With the support of CLLD, local communities around Europe are taking the initiative to shape the changes they want to see.
The registration for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Information Day just opened. A total budget of € 22.5 million is available under the 2019 "Blue Economy Window" call. Come to our Information Day on 25 November in Brussels and learn how to get the funding.
Our story of the month comes from Austria, where thanks to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) you can now buy fresh fish and vegetables produced right in the Austrian capital city of Vienna. The aquaponics start-up, established in 2016 with an EMFF contribution of around €30,000, combines vegetable farming with fish farming in large glasshouses to produce aubergines, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and chilli, as well as catfish and perch.
Our story this month is on a conservation project off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, in Germany, financed through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The project is helping to support local fishermen, ecologists and administrative bodies in adopting measures to protect harbour porpoises and diving ducks.
I would like to thank the Austrian Presidency for their work in facilitating a compromise. Today, we have adopted important decisions on deep sea stocks. As you know, these are very vulnerable species that need decades to grow and reproduce. We often have incomplete knowledge about these stocks. But we know one thing for certain: many of these stocks have been overfished for years.
The meeting of European agriculture and fisheries ministers on Monday 18 May will address a number of important issues for the EU maritime and fisheries policy.
For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Commission is proposing €6.14 billion under a simpler, more flexible fund for European fisheries and the maritime economy.
What is the EMFF? The EMFF is the Union fund that will support the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the growth of a sustainable blue economy and the European Union's international commitments in the field of ocean governance.
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.
