The nine territories of the European Union’s outermost regions can now use state aid to support the renewal of the small-vessel fishing fleet while fishing sustainably, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced.
Speaking at the annual conference of the outermost regions, in Gran Canaria, in Spain's Canary Islands, Juncker confirmed that guidelines for state aid given to the fishery and aquaculture sector had been revised. The aim of the changes is to facilitate fleet renewal in order to increase the safety of fishers, ensure food supplies, and allow the fishing sector to play a more important role in the overall development of the regions.
The new measures allow member-states to offer public support for the buying of new fishing vessels by individual fishermen and companies based in one of the nine outermost regions of the E.U.; namely, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, La Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands.
The state aid can be used to replace outdated and unsafe vessels with new ones.
If the capacity limits of a region have not yet been reached, the funding can be used to buy new vessels of different types and lengths that are more suitable for current fishing opportunities.
The new guidelines put particular emphasis on avoiding any negative impact on the sustainability of fish stocks. State aid can only be granted if there is a proper balance between fish resources and the fishing capacity of the fleet segment acquiring a new vessel.
Furthermore, the introduction of a new vessel must be done in full respect of the capacity ceilings set out in E.U. law. Aid is particularly needed in the case of small- and medium-range vessels.
Aid can only be granted to beneficiaries registered in the region at the date of granting the aid. Furthermore, the vessel must remain registered in the outermost region concerned for at least 15 years and must, during that time, land all of its catches in an outermost region.
