Joint NGO position: Post-2020 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

This document provides an overview of the joint NGO priorities on the post-2020 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

It calls on decision-makers to support the Commission’s proposal that enables:

• A results-based approach to the EMFF (where financing is linked to the results achieved);
• The possibility to finance the protection and restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystems;
• The support for participation in decision-making and development of advice (e.g. co-management committees and Fisheries Local Action Groups);
• The participatory management of marine spaces, including Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) such as Natura 2000 sites;
• The support for control, enforcement and data collection, including electronic monitoring and reporting tools for small-scale fishing vessels;
• A fisheries governance framework that removes some harmful fishing subsidies which increase fishing capacity.

It calls on decision-makers to amend the Commission’s proposal to ensure that:

• At least 25% of the EMFF is ring-fenced to support the protection of the marine environment, including pilot projects to research innovative mitigation techniques for tackling incidental catches of sensitive species, implementing management measures in MPAs, and restoring protected habitats;
• There is an increase from 15% to 25% of the budgetary allocation dedicated to monitoring and control of fishing activities and data collection, putting special emphasis on data-poor fisheries;
• Derogations to the list of ineligible operations are removed where these contribute to overcapacity of the fishing fleet, such as the renewal of the fleet and the modernisation of engines for small-scale fishing vessels and extraordinary and permanent cessation;
• It is not possible to finance any operating costs, such as insurance (including for specific mutual funds), overheads, fuel or basic equipment of the fishing vessels that make it merely operational or even navigational.”