Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
338. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the application by the Government to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund; the date that the application was submitted; the timeframe for consideration of the application and final approval; the potential amount available to Ireland under the fund; the way that it might be allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36882/22]
View answerMy Department's €240.4 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Programme 2014-20 has been in operation since its adoption by the European Commission in 2015. The Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and has been the principal source of funding in recent years for the sustainable development of our seafood sector. The Programme has been a great success in distributing funding to support our fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors with capital investment, innovation, advisory services, training, marketing and Covid supports. At the end of 2021, the last date for which official data is available, funds of €233.8 million had been committed to projects through grant approvals (97.2%). Implementation of the Programme continues in 2022 and indeed some approved projects will not complete until 2023. By the time the Programme closes on 31 December 2023, I expect full draw down of funds.
Separately, my Department is finalising a new programme for the 2021-27 period under the new European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The process of preparing the programme has been ongoing for some time, and I anticipate a final public consultation shortly before submitting the programme to the Commission in the Autumn, for its adoption before the end of 2022. The consultation will set out my final proposals for measures to be supported and the distribution of the funds across the four EMFAF priorities. Under the EMFAF, Ireland is allocated €142 million from the Union budget, with national co-funding being discussed with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
While the Deputy refers to an application to the EU under the EMFF, I am assuming he means to refer to the submission of the new Programme under the EMFAF.
