De minimis aid in the fishery and aquaculture sector

ClientEarth welcomes the public consultation on the Proposal of the Commission on the
application of Article 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to
de minimis aid in the fishery and aquaculture sector (the ‘de minimis proposal’). We acknowledge that regulating de minimis aid in the fishery and aquaculture sector is very important to ensure that the specificities of the fishery and aquaculture sector are taken into account within the general state aid policy of the Union.

For the reasons outlined in this briefing, ClientEarth’s preferred option would be not to have de minimis aid in the fishery and aquaculture sector at all. We recommend that the de minimis proposal should not constitute a type of structural aid for the fishery and aquaculture sector, as this is covered by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).