Brussels, 30/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has adopted a new set of rules on state aid to the fisheries sector, providing for a 'block exemption' for certain types of aid which will no longer have to be notified to and approved by the Commission before Member States can implement them. This follows on from the December 2002 decision on reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Aid not covered by this exemption will still have to be notified and assessed by the Commission as at present. The new rules will become applicable from 1 November 2004.
Block exemption: The measures covered by the block exemption relate to aid unlikely to threaten conservation or distort competition: promotion and/or advertising of fisheries products; producers' groups; protection and development of aquatic resources; innovative measures and technical assistance; fishing port facilities; scrapping of fishing vessels; socio-economic measures; investment in processing and/or marketing of fisheries products; aquaculture and inland fishing; tax exemptions on fuel and VAT. The block exemption will apply to aid granted to SMEs for amounts below EUR 1 million and to aid designed to finance measures with a maximum eligible amount of EUR 2 million.
Other aid: Aid not covered by the block exemption will still have to be notified by Member States to the Commission. The continued notification obligation covers aid to the fleet, aid for temporary cessation of fishing activities and for compensation for damages due to natural disasters or exceptional circumstances. Aid exceeding the thresholds set under the block exemption Regulation adopted today or granted to enterprises other than small and medium enterprises, will also still have to be notified to and assessed by the Commission. To be approved, aid will have to comply with criteria set out in the Guidelines which are in accordance with those guiding the granting of aid under the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG).