Public Aid for Sustainable Fisheries

SUMMARY

Public aid has been identified as a driver for overfishing. The proposed European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) must ensure that future aid does not undermine the objectives of the CFP, but contributes to the transition to sustainable fisheries and towards achieving healthy marine ecosystems. We therefore call on MEPs to amend the Commission proposal to ensure that:

• Fleet-related subsidies are made conditional upon adequate assessment and reporting of overcapacity and the progress of Member States to achieve an effective balance between fishing capacity and available fishing opportunities (to be added to Article 11 and Annex III); 
• Member States have the flexibility to allocate more (but not less) resources to control and enforcement measures and data collection (Article 15);
• Existing provisions to make EMFF funding conditional upon compliance with the rules of the CFP are maintained and strengthened (Article 11 and 12, Annex III);
• Aquaculture industry develops into a net producer of fish protein, based on sustainable and environmentally sound processes (Chapter II);
• Funding is available for stakeholder participation to develop and implement multi-annual plans (MAPs) (new Article or expand Article 35).