As an Intermediate Management Body of the various funds in three Operational Programmes, we support the fisheries and aquaculture sector in its commitment to increasingly sustainable activities

To ensure the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture activity in Europe, the Common Fisheries Policy was introduced in the 1960s, the most recent update of which comes into force on 1 January 2014. The CFP aims to ensure that fisheries and aquaculture are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable, and provide EU citizens with a healthy source of food. To implement the CFP in the territory of the Union, a structural fund has been set up since 1993, the FIFG between 1994-2006, the EFF (European Fisheries Fund) between 2007-2013 (n+2, of which the Biodiversity Foundation was the Intermediate Management Body in the final stretch of its implementation (for more information on the role of the FB in the EFF click here), the EMFF (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund) which runs from 2014 to 2020 (n+3) and the EMFF ( European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund) for the period 2021-2027.

The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund is the new fund for the EU’s maritime, fisheries and aquaculture policies for the period 2021-2027. It is based on Regulation (EU) No. 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021.

It is structured around four priorities aimed at the sustainable development of fisheries, aquaculture and other related activities under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and Integrated Maritime Policy. The priorities are:

1-. To promote sustainable fishing and the recovery and conservation of aquatic biological resources.

2-. To promote sustainable aquaculture activities, as well as the processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products, thereby contributing to food security in the Union.

3-. Enable a sustainable blue economy in coastal, island and inland areas, and foster the development of fishing and aquaculture communities.

4-. Strengthen international ocean governance and enable seas and oceans to be safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed.

The Biodiversity Foundation acts as FEMPA’s Intermediate Management Body in this period for priorities 1, 2 and 4, in addition to the technical assistance measure, through the publication of at least two calls for aid from the Pleamar Programme. The Pleamar Programme evolves from the results of the 2014-2020 period, in which 135 projects have been financed, with an amount of more than 24 million euros and, in this new period, reinforces actions related to research, conservation and knowledge of the marine environment, with a special focus on the marine Natura 2000 Network.

The 2023 call, endowed with 14.55 million euros, has supported a total of 43 projects focused on helping the fishing and aquaculture sector in its commitment to sustainability, reducing marine pollution and promoting the ecological transition to improve knowledge, protection, conservation and restoration of the marine environment.

In 2025, a new call will be launched, also endowed with a budget of 14.55 million euros, whose objective is to promote projects aligned with policies on the protection of natural heritage and biodiversity, the marine environment and continental waters, the fight against climate change, the prevention of marine pollution and the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture activities through research and the improvement of knowledge of the marine environment and, in short, the transition to a more ecological and innovative productive and social model. In this call, 46 projects have been beneficiaries.