On Friday 17 March, the European Commission adopted revised guidelines on State aid to fisheries and aquaculture.
These guidelines set out the conditions under which State aid granted by EU Member States to support the fisheries and aquaculture sectors can be considered compatible with the single market. They reflect the EU’s strategic priorities, in particular the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the new European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and the ‘European Green Deal’.
The new State aid rules introduce the following key changes: - a broadening of the scope of measures targeting animal diseases in aquaculture, allowing aid to be granted for emerging animal diseases and certain invasive alien species; - new categories of aid (aid for fleet and cessation measures and aid for investments in equipment contributing to the safety of fishing vessels in the outermost regions of the EU). “At the same time, it should be noted that capacity enhancing measures are unlikely to be approved”, says the Commission.
The new guidelines were approved by the Commission in December 2022 and will be applicable as of 1 April 2023. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)