2.2.5

FEAMPA

6,11 billion

Supporting fishermen, coastal communities sustainable fishing and aquaculture

DG / Responsible Agencies: MARE | CINEA | National and regional authorities

This paragraph could be further updated based on developments in the new community, national and regional funds programming 2021-2027.

Structural funds - special features

The European Fund for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (FEAMPA) is a peculiar fund.

It is part of the so-called Structural Funds, along with ERDF, ESF+, EAFRD and the Cohesion Fund, although it deals with a very specific area. It is part of the indirectly (or rather, concurrently) managed funds from which Italy’s maritime regions benefit and which refers at the national level to a PON FEAMPA, co-financed by national budgets (as is the case with the other Structural Funds).

However, FEAMPA also has a component that is directly managed by the European Commission departments: it can therefore be counted among both indirect/shared management funds/programs and directly managed EU programs. The indirect/concurrent management part of FEAMPA is preponderant, so we include its discussion in this section of the Guide.

The concurrently managed part of FEAMPA is also covered by our Guide in the section on PONs ( PON FEAMPA ). In this section we will present the structure and particularities of EAMPA as a whole, including general information that applies to both its nationally managed part and the part implemented under direct management by the European Commission.

Potential beneficiaries

All stakeholders involved in the exploitation and management of marine resources, especially fishers, aquaculturists, coastal communities, civil society organizations, marine scientists, and public authorities.

Description and objectives

Maritime affairs and the resources of the sea are a priority for the European Union: they are linked to its role as a global ocean actor, as a major producer and consumer of seafood, as a frontline player in the sustainable use of resources and protection of the environment, and as a guarantor of citizens’ basic needs (safety of seas and oceans, food supplies) and socioeconomic development (blue economy and coastal communities).

The European Fund for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (FEAMPA) is an expression of the EU Common Fisheries Policy and the EU Maritime Policy. It also supports the implementation of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy, and the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. In particular, FEAMPA promotes:

Actions and investments that contribute to the protection of marine biodiversity and sustainable, low-impact fishing and aquaculture activities;
The supply of healthy, high-quality seafood products to European consumers;
The development of a sustainable blue economy in coastal communities;
Maritime surveillance and international cooperation on ocean governance.

More specifically, FEAMPA pursues ten objectives:

Strengthen economically, socially and environmentally sustainable fisheries;
Increasing energy efficiency and reducing CO ₂ ;
Promote the adjustment of fishing capacity to fishing opportunities and contribute to a fair standard of living in the event of temporary cessation of fishing activities;
Promote efficient fisheries monitoring and reliable data for knowledge-based decision making;
Promote a level playing field for fishery and aquaculture products produced in the outermost regions;
Contribute to the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems;
Promoting sustainable and economically viable aquaculture activities;
Develop competitive, transparent and stable markets for fishery and aquaculture products and the processing of these products;
Strengthen sustainable sea and ocean management through the promotion of marine knowledge, maritime surveillance, and/or cooperation among coast guards;
Develop fishing and aquaculture communities in coastal and inland areas.

Types of actions and projects

The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund supports:

Actions to support the improvement of fishing gear, structures and practices;
Innovation and sustainability in the blue economy sector;
The improvement of aquaculture facilities and environmental sustainability of the industry;
The quality and sustainability of marine food sources, for the supply of healthy, quality seafood products to European consumers;
Actions to protect marine biodiversity and ecosystems;
Innovation and investment in low-impact, climate-resilient and low-carbon fishing, product processing and aquaculture practices and techniques;
The improvement of skills and working conditions in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors;
Socioeconomic attractiveness and generational turnover in the fisheries sector, economic and social vitality of coastal communities;
The collection, management and use of data to improve knowledge about the state of the marine environment;
Maritime intelligence and surveillance, coast guard cooperation, and international ocean governance for healthy, safe, and sustainably managed oceans.

As mentioned above, part of the program is implemented under direct management by the European Commission services (DG MARE and CINEA), but most of it is executed in indirect mode, i.e., under shared management with member states. The reference program for Italy is PON FEAMPA, full details of which can be found on this site :

Drafts of the Operational Program. ;
SWOT analysis ;
Documents of the Partenarial Consultation and the Technical Tables .

The priorities of the FEAMPA National Operational Program 2021-2027 are, of course, aligned with the overall FEAMPA priorities. We reproduce below the allocations of FEAMPA in Italy, as provided in the draft Operational Program of September 20, 2021 (you can consult here the draft and subsequent updates).

EMFF allocations by Priority and Specific Objective (million euros)	Total	Contr. EU	Contr. Naz.
1. Sustainable fishing, restoration and conservation of aquatic biological resources.
1.1. Strengthening economically, socially and environmentally sustainable fisheries	157,0	78,5	78,5
1.2. Replacement and modernization of fishing vessel engines	5,0	2,5	2,5
1.3. Adjustments in case of permanent and temporary cessation of fishing activities	102,0	51,0	51,0
1.4. Effective fisheries control and enforcement, combating IUU fishing and reliable data	122,9	86,0	36,9
1.6. Contribute to the protection and restoration of aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems	80,0	40,0	40,0
2. Sustainable aquaculture, processing and marketing of products.
2.1. Promoting sustainability and competitiveness of aquaculture activities	154,0	77,0	77,0
2.2. Promote marketing, quality and value of fishery and aquaculture products	186,4	93,2	93,2
3. Sustainable blue economy and development of fishing and aquaculture communities.
3.1. Contributing to blue economy and sustainable development of fishing and aquaculture communities	103,8	51,9	51,9
4. International governance, safe, protected, clean and sustainable oceans and seas
4.1. Promotion of marine knowledge and surveillance and cooperation	14,0	7,0	7,0
5. Technical assistance
5.1. Technical Assistance	62,2	31,1	31,1
Total	987,3	518,2	469,1

Highlights

The FEAMPA builds on the experience of the previous programming period, with a simplified structure, greater participation by member states and a stronger focus on strengthening international ocean governance.