On Wednesday 18 October, the European Commission announced that it had authorised an Irish state aid scheme worth €25.6 million, another Irish scheme worth €7 million and a Belgian scheme worth €16 million to support the Irish and Flemish fishing industries, respectively, due to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit).
The first aid is intended to compensate, through direct grants, the owners of certain vessels registered in Ireland for the loss of turnover suffered in 2021 and 2022 as a result of the reduction in mackerel quotas following Brexit.
Another €7 million Irish measure aims to support the fish processing sector, which has been hit by the consequences of Brexit.
Finally, a measure authorised on the same day aims to compensate owners of fishing vessels registered in Belgium for the loss of income and additional costs associated with reductions in fish quotas, as well as the lack of access to British waters and the landing of fish in other ports following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. The maximum amount of aid per beneficiary under the Belgian scheme will be €200,000 in the small fleet sector and €500,000 in the large fleet sector.
These measures will be financed under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (see EUROPE 12628/6). (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)