On Wednesday 4 March, the European Commission adopted a working document presenting the mid-term evaluation of the The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the EU’s main financial instrument for supporting the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the sustainable blue economy.
This evaluation covers the period from the start of the 2021-2027 programming period to the first quarter of 2024 and aims to examine the progress made in implementing the Fund.
However, the Commission stresses that it is still too early to fully measure its impact, as the first operations did not really get under way until the second half of 2023.
According to the data available, the average commitment rate for the EMFAF was 16% in mid-2024, with significant disparities between Member States. Ten countries remain well below 10%, while four Member States have not yet committed any funding. Despite this slow start, the Commission considers that the implementation of the EMFAF is slightly more advanced than that of the previous fund at a comparable stage.
The first operations to be supported include data collection, fisheries control, implementation of the landing obligation, protection of biodiversity and support for small-scale fisheries.
The evaluation also highlights the fact that the new EMFAF framework offers Member States greater flexibility to adapt the actions financed to their needs. However, the Commission notes that administrative costs have increased overall and that some Member States are still experiencing difficulties with administrative capacity and programme implementation.
The Commission also considers that the Fund remains consistent with the EU’s main policies, in particular the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU’s climate objectives. There are also synergies with other European financial instruments, such as the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus) and Horizon Europe.
Finally, the Commission points out that the EMFAF is an essential tool for supporting sustainable fisheries, protecting marine resources and strengthening the resilience of the EU’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors. A full evaluation of the Fund’s impact is planned for 2029, once the funded projects have been fully implemented.
Link to the document: https://aeur.eu/f/l1s (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)