On Tuesday 30 May, the Commission announced that it had approved a €4.5 million Belgian scheme to support the fisheries sector affected by the consequences of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit).
The aid should support small and medium-sized enterprises with active fishing vessels flying the Belgian flag affected by the consequences of Brexit and wishing to modernise their fleet.
€4.2 million will be earmarked for investment to support the digitisation of ships. In addition, all the eligible costs of scientific support for these investments will be covered by the measure, with a total budget of around €320,000.
The Commission found that the aid scheme complied with the European rules on state aid and, more specifically, with Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the new guidelines for state aid in the fisheries and aquaculture sector (see EUROPE 13144/18). (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)