On Wednesday 16 July, the European Commission proposed creating a ‘European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security’, which would combine the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) with several other programmes, in particular those relating to agriculture, cohesion and regional development.
According to Europêche, such a decision “disregards the strategic importance of fisheries”, one of the Union’s few truly common policies. This choice would send “a disheartening signal” to the European fishing industry and the coastal communities that depend on it.
The sector is also alarmed at the small amount set aside for fisheries - €2 billion - particularly in comparison with the €6.1 billion allocated to the EMFAF for the period 2021-2027.
In addition, the absence of defined cofinancing rates for vessels over 12 metres, combined with a general lack of mandatory financial measures to address the challenges facing the sector, leaves Member States free to decide whether and how to finance their fishing fleets, Europêche warns.
“This places the future of the sector at the mercy of national priorities, risking uneven support across the EU and creating an unlevel playing field that undermines fair competition and cohesion within the single market”, says the organisation.
Europêche also highlights the wider consequences of underfunding fisheries: lower European production, higher consumer prices and increased dependence on food imports.
The Commission proposes to integrate funding for fisheries, aquaculture and EU maritime policy into national and regional partnership plans (see EUROPE 13682/1).
Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries Carmen Crespo Díaz (EPP, Spanish), believes that “the budget cut [for fisheries] is as unjustified as it is alarming”.
“This cut represents a further blow to a sector already on the brink of collapse”, she says. Ms Crespo also considers that integrating fisheries funds into a broader instrument “jeopardises the identity of the common fisheries policy”.
Link to the proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/hxk (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)