Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama) announces aid for permanent cessation and socio-economic aid for vessel owners and fishermen from boats affected by reduced fishing opportunities on two non-EU fisheries: Mauritania and Guinea Bissau.
Currently, the European Union (EU) has a fishing agreement with the Mauritanian Government while the fisheries agreement with Guinea Bissau is suspended.
The Magrama has just published a new ministerial resolution in the Official State Gazette (BOE), which aims at providing subsidies for scrapping fishing vessels destined to permanent cessation of their activity as a result of the non-renewal or suspension of a fisheries agreement between the EU and a third country, or a significant reduction in fishing opportunities.
The regulation states that those that will be able to benefit from the aids are vessel owners and crew members affected by fishing restrictions of the agreement with Mauritania and the suspension of the agreement with Guinea Bissau.
The maximum amount for this request amounts to EUR 4.45 million. Out of this total, EUR 4.12 million will be used for the permanent cessation and EUR 325,500 for compensation socioeconomic measures that are non-renewable.
The aids will have to be financed with charge to the budget implementation ‘EU Operating Aid programmes’ of the 2013 State Budget with input from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF).
To access the aid several criteria will be taken into account: the inclusion in the order of the age of the ships, the tonnage and the age of the crew members.
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