Fisheries governance


Back to Services

Region:    Europe

Drafting the Malta EMFF Operational Programme Malta

Ministry for Resources & Rural Affairs  - Project Dates:
January 2013 - May 2013

Description of Project:
The European Commission has proposed a new fund for the EU’s maritime and fisheries policies for the period 2014-2020: the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The general objective of the EMFF is to support the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy, a policy on which the EU has exclusive competence, and to further develop the EU Integrated Maritime Policy. The EMFF takes the form of a single operational programme per Member State. The programming exercise covers the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020. Each Member State prepares an OP that identifies a strategy for meeting targets in relation to EU priorities for the EMFF and a selection of measures. Programming needs to comply with Union priorities, while being adapted to national contexts and complement the other Union policies, in particular rural development policy and cohesion policy.

Services Provided:

Poseidon provided the technical expertise covering the four 'pillars' of the EFF, these being: 1. Smart, Green Fisheries (shared management) to foster the transition to sustainable fishing which is more selective, produces no discards, does less damage to marine ecosystems and thus contributes to the sustainable management of marine ecosystems; and to provide support focused on innovation and value added, making the fisheries sector economically viable and resilient to external shocks and to competition from third countries. 2. Smart, Green Aquaculture (shared management) – to achieve economically viable, competitive and green aquaculture, capable of facing global competition and providing EU consumers with healthy and high nutrition value products. 3. Sustainable and Inclusive Territorial Development (shared management) – to reverse the decline of many coastal and inland communities dependent on fishing, through adding more value to fishing and fishing related activities and through diversification to other sectors of the maritime economy. 4. Integrated Maritime Policy (direct centralised management) to support those cross cutting priorities which generate savings and growth but which the Member States will not take forward on their own – such as marine knowledge, maritime spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management and integrated maritime surveillance, the protection of the marine environment, in particular its biodiversity, and adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change on coastal areas.