About the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund
CINEA assists the European Commission and notably its Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) in developing and implementing the Union's Maritime policy (IMP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
These EU policies are supported by the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). For the period 2021-2027, it has an overall budget of € 6.108 billion to promote a growth and job based recovery in Europe.
In line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, the EMFAF provides an ambitious support package for the achievement of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, the development of local coastal communities, the promotion of a sustainable blue economy, the implementation of the Union’s maritime policy towards safe and sustainably managed seas and oceans, and for international ocean governance.
The European Commission and Member States will also ensure that EMFAF contributes to the achievement of the overall climate and biodiversity targets established in the Multiannual Financial Framework.
The EMFAF is the continuation of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) that ran from 2014 until 2020.
EMFAF supported areas
The EMFAF supports the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and of the Union's maritime policy along four priorities:
- Fostering sustainable fisheries and the conservation of marine biological resources;
- Contributing to food security in the Union through competitive and sustainable aquaculture and markets;
- Enabling the growth of a sustainable blue economy and fostering prosperous coastal communities;
- Strengthening international ocean governance and enabling safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed seas and oceans.
In addition, the EMFAF supports voluntary contributions to international organisations and technical assistance.
The programme management is divided between shared management and direct management.
- 87% (€5.311 billion) of the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund budget co-finances projects alongside national funding streams, with each Member State receiving a share of the total budget. Member States draw up their national operational programmes, specifying how they intend to invest the funds. Once approved by the Commission, national authorities decide which projects they wish to support (shared management);
- 13% (€797 million) of the budget is either managed directly (direct management) by the European Commission services or delegated to CINEA.
EMFAF actions at CINEA
The majority of the EMFAF actions in direct management delegated to CINEA are targeted at supporting policy development by the European Commission and implemented by way of procurement (purchase of services) and grants (contribution to specific actions).
The EMFAF actions delegated to CINEA support the EU Green Deal by implementing initiatives in the field of the Union’s Maritime Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy, with a strong focus on Farm2Fork (inclunding sustainable fisheries and aquaculture), offshore renewable energy and EU biodiversity strategies, and the Circular Economy Action Plan.
Concretely, CINEA launches and manages open calls for proposals and calls for tenders, as well as ad hoc grants and service requests under framework contracts for studies, assistance mechanisms, innovative and cooperation projects, best practice sharing and awareness-raising campaigns, etc.
General information on the EMFAF actions delegated to CINEA can be found in the yearly EMFAF work programme published by the European Commission.
Voluntary Contributions to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations
Outside EU waters, international cooperation on the management of fisheries is taking place at the level of specific “regions” through international entities called “Regional Fishery Bodies”.
They target a specific geographical area within international waters (also known as High Seas or Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction). Countries with fishing interests in this area are represented in these regional fishery bodies.
Some Regional Fishery Bodies have a mandate to adopt binding measures for their Members and are referred to as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). These organisations are open both to countries in the region (‘coastal states’) and countries that have interests in those fisheries (‘distant water fishing nations’).
RFMOs play a critical role in international fisheries governance as they have the authority to establish fisheries conservation and management measures on the High Seas. They are also a primary platform to achieve cooperation between and among fishing nations.
There are two types of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs):
- RFMOs focusing only on the management of stocks of highly migratory species, notably tuna (i.e. tuna RFMOs) in various regions;
- RFMOs managing fish stocks in specific geographic areas, (i.e. non-tuna RFMOs).
Role of the EU
As a global ocean actor and a major producer and consumer of seafood, the EU has a responsibility to protect and sustainably use the oceans and their resources. Represented by the European Commission, the EU actively engages in 5 tuna RFMOs, 13 non-tuna RFMOs and provides advice to other regional fisheries bodies.
The European Union is either a contracting party of these Regional Fisheries Management Organizations or an observer. Its advocacy role covers conservation and sustainable management measures, and provides financial support for research and other supporting activities.
Support from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund
In the programming period 2021-2027, the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) supports financially some activities of these Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. Under the Work programme 2021-2023, the EU provided more than EUR 10 million in so-called “Voluntary Contributions” in the form of grants to these RFMOs as pre-identified beneficiaries.
They cover activities such as (but not limited to):
- strengthened data collection;
- scientific research and science-based decisions;
- monitoring of fishing activities;
- improvement of the performance of organisations which contribute to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Since 2021, the implementation and management of those Voluntary Contribution has been delegated to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency of the European Commission (Unit D.3).
By the end of 2024, CINEA signed 15 Grant Agreements with 7 different RFMOs. The beneficiaries include the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA), among other RFMOs.