The European Commission has approved investment packages for the maritime, fisheries and aquaculture sectors of Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Sweden and Lithuania, raising the number of adopted Operational Programs (OPs) to 14.
Within this latest round, Denmark will invest EUR 267.6 million (USD 307.7 million), including EUR 208.4 million (USD 239.7 million) of EU funds; Estonia will invest EUR 129.6 million (USD 149.1 million), including EUR 101 million (USD 116.2 million) of EU funds; Germany will invest EUR 284.6 million (USD 327.4 million), including EUR 219.6 million (USD 252.6 million) of EU funds; Sweden will invest EUR 172.9 million (USD 198.9 million), including EUR 120.2 million (USD 138.3 million) of EU funds; and Lithuania will invest EUR 82 million (USD 93 million), including EUR 63 million (USD 71.4 million) of EU funds.
The investments are for the period 2014-2020.
Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, welcomed the adoption of the programs under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), and stressed their contribution to sustainable growth.
"Today we have taken another step to secure a bright future for fishing communities and aquaculture business in Europe. The investment under these programs will make fisheries and aquaculture more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. This means more resource efficiency, more innovation and more opportunities for jobs and growth,” said Vella.
All five adopted OPs promote resource-efficient, innovative, competitive and knowledge-based fisheries and aquaculture. As such, they are fully in line with the EMFF priorities and the EU's reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
In particular, investment will support projects that promote sustainable aquaculture and fisheries and ventures that improve the competitiveness of those sectors.
A large part of the budget will also be used to support the implementation of the CFP through the collection of fish stock and other marine data as well as various measures to control fishing activities.
The nine countries that have already had their OPs approved comprise the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.
Outstanding OPs will be adopted by the end of this year.
