Spain, Italy and Tunisia promote responsible fishing in the Mediterranean basin through a cross-border cooperation initiative co-financed by the European Union that has an endowment of 1.9 million euros.
Spain, Italy and Tunisia promote responsible fishing in the Mediterranean basin through a cross-border cooperation initiative co-financed by the European Union that has an endowment of 1.9 million euros.
The project, “Conservation of ecosystems and sustainable artisanal fisheries in the Mediterranean basin (ECOSAFIMED)”, is part of the European ENPI Mediterranean Basin Programme, which aims to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and the coastal regions of the Mediterranean.
In this context, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, coordinates this initiative in which the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Marine Technologies (Tunisia) and the University of Genoa participate.
Since 19 February, representatives of the participating entities and the ENPI Programme have held a first meeting in Barcelona, which concluded today. In this meeting, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation, they have addressed the main technical and financial aspects for the execution of the project.
ECOSAFIMED promotes responsible fishing practices and communication between research and the artisanal fishing sector in order to contribute to the conservation of marine ecosystems. The ultimate objective of the project is the development of management recommendations for artisanal fisheries studied in the Mediterranean, so that the fisheries are compatible with a good conservation status of marine habitats.
The initiative has a budget of €1,915,883, of which the ENPI Programme contributes with funding of €1,569,235, which represents 81% of the cost of the project.
The execution period will end on December 31, 2015. During this period, the project will study marine areas in various territories of the Mediterranean basin. In the case of Spain, areas close to Catalonia and the Balearic Islands will be studied. In Italy, the geographical location is focused on Lazio and Sicily, while in Tunisia, the regions of Nabeul, Ariana, Tunisia and Bizerte are included.
Among the planned actions, those areas with low trawl pressure in which artisanal fisheries fish in Spain, Italy and Tunisia will be identified. Once delimited, the impact of these fisheries on seabed ecosystems will be assessed. Based on the results, recommendations will be prepared with the participation of the sector that will make it possible to reconcile artisanal fishing and the conservation of benthic communities. The project also plans to detect areas of high ecological value for their conservation and protection.
ECOSAFIMED is one of the 39 projects that were beneficiaries of the 1,095 submitted to the second call of the ENPI CBC MED Program 2007-2013.
ENPI CBC MED PROGRAM
The European ENPI Mediterranean Basin programme is a cross-border cooperation initiative that is part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Policy instrument (EIPV-ENPI). The aim of the programme is to promote cooperation between the regions on both shores of the Mediterranean in order to face common challenges and to make the most of their endogenous potential.
A total of 14 countries are beneficiaries of the programme, representing 76 territories and nearly 110 million inhabitants: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Spain, Syria and Tunisia.
The programme has a budget of 200 million, from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Policy Instrument and the contribution to each project amounts to a maximum of 90% of the total cost.
The funded projects deal with various topics related to the promotion of socioeconomic and territorial development, through support for innovation, and research; sustainable development and energy efficiency throughout the Mediterranean basin; the improvement of the conditions and modalities of movement of people, goods and capital or the promotion of dialogue between cultures and governance.
Information on the ECOSAFIMED project and the ENPI CBC MED Programme can be found on the websites of ENPI CBC MED and the EuropeAid Development and Cooperation Office.
This publication has been produced with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Basin Programme. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Biodiversity Foundation and may not be considered under any circumstances to reflect the position of the European Union or the management structures of the Programme.
