Around €5.7bn in funding has been pledged to ensure the effective implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) after the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) was adopted by the European Council.
The funding will be provided until 2020, but environmental lawyers ClientEarth say weaknesses in the EMFF mean that a good CFP could be undermined if Member States choose to use this funding, and other state and private funds, to subsidise harmful activities.
Flaminia Tacconi, ClientEarth Lawyer, said: “The Commission’s original proposal would have made aid very much more conditional on compliance with the CFP. The EMFF now means we could see fisheries that don’t act within the rules receiving pay-outs in some countries but not others.”
For instance, the EMFF allows Member States to fund fishers to dismantle old boats, and buy newer ones, or to buy more powerful engines. This promotes overcapacity, when the CFP contains fleet size reduction targets, and distorts the market by removing significant business risks associated with fishing.
“Fortunately, the rules allow Member States to act sustainably. Public pressure must ensure that they do,” Mr Tacconi added.
The EMFF also means EU funds for data collection and fisheries control measures come out of the same pot. Member States can choose how much they subsidise each area. This could result in countries having data on fish stocks but no information on the fishing practices of their fishers, or vice versa.
ClientEarth says in addition, the EMFF has not followed the European Parliament’s lead in ensuring that subsidies support only sustainable aquaculture.
The lawyers have published a report explaining the main issues of the Fund, and calls on Member States to ‘make the right choice’ to deliver and comply with the new CFP.
