The European Commission proposed on Thursday 2 April a package of EU measures to help the EU fisheries and aquaculture sectors cope with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic (see EUROPE 12458/6).
The Commission has presented a proposal amending certain provisions of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and the Common Market Organisation (CMO) in order to provide for three types of measures: - support for the temporary cessation of fishing activities; - support to aquaculture farmers who have to suspend or reduce production; - support for producer organisations for the storage of fishery and aquaculture products.
The Commission also makes provision for a more flexible reallocation of financial resources within the operational programmes (OPs) of each Member State and a simplified procedure for amending OPs to introduce new measures.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, commented: “Europe’s fishermen and aquaculture farmers are used to fighting the elements. But the coronavirus is a different kind of storm”. The Commission believes that these measures will help “protect thousands of jobs in the EU's coastal regions and maintain food security”.
Provided that the Commission proposal is adopted by the EU Council and the European Parliament without amendments, expenditure for operations supported under the measures will be retroactively eligible from 1st February 2020 until 31 December 2020.
The Commission says it is working towards greater market stability and mitigating the risk of having high-value seafood products wasted or redirected to non-human food purposes.
The Chair of Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries, Pierre Karleskind (Renew Europe, France), said the committee would meet next Tuesday to discuss the proposals.
Link to the Commission proposal: https://bit.ly/2R6x22R (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)