POLICY
A healthy marine environment is an important source of biological diversity which provides a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits. It is also the source of the nutritious and safe seafood we in Europe enjoy as an important part of our diet. Coastal communities, where fishing plays an important role – with their lifestyles, cultures, tradition and knowledge accumulated over time – depend on fisheries-related jobs – in the fishing fleet, in aquaculture, in the food processing sector or fishing ports. Fisheries and coastal zones are also particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including flooding, coastal erosion and a rising sea-level.
The EU is committed to achieving sustainable, ecosystem-based management of its fisheries. Following a comprehensive review, the Commission will shortly propose a radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which will lead to fundamental changes in the way fisheries are managed in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of fish resources and the future of fisheries in Europe. This reform will be accompanied by a major reorientation of funding for the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), which will include:
•Re-deployment of inefficient direct fleet subsidies in line with the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy, including the provision of incentives for the fishing industry to reform, to innovate and to fish sustainably;
•Closing the innovation gap between fisheries and other sectors of the economy, allowing EU fishing fleets to became viable and competitive and to contribute to growth and jobs in fisheries dependent communities;
•Facilitation of the transition towards low impact fisheries, with the elimination of discards and low impact on marine ecosystems;
•Contribution to sustainable management of marine ecosystems and ecosystems dependent on aquaculture;
•Reinforced support to collective actions including marketing and production, with a strong role for Producers Organisations;
•Increased focus on the viability of coastal and inland communities depending on fishing, including through adding more value to fisheries-related activities and diversification towards other sectors of the maritime economy;
•Competitive and sustainable aquaculture providing EU consumers with healthy and high nutrition products.
•Reinforced control and data collection, thus ensuring better compliance and a fully-fledged knowledge-based policy
•An Integrated Maritime Policy focused on promoting sustainable growth in maritime sectors and regions.

INSTRUMENTS
The reformed maritime and fisheries policy will be centred on a new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which will be structured around 4 pillars:
•Smart, Green Fisheries (shared management) to foster the transition to sustainable fishing which is more selective, produces no discards, does less damage to marine ecosystems and thus contributes to the sustainable management of marine ecosystems; and to provide support focused on innovation and value added, making the fisheries sector economically viable and resilient to external shocks and to competition from third countries.
•Smart, Green Aquaculture (shared management) – to achieve economically viable, competitive and green aquaculture, capable of facing global competition and providing EU consumers with high nutrition value products.
•Sustainable and Inclusive Territorial Development (shared management) – to reverse the decline of many coastal and inland communities dependent on fishing, through adding more value to fishing and fishing related activities and through diversification to other sectors of the maritime economy.
•Integrated Maritime Policy (direct centralised management) to support those cross cutting priorities which have real potential to generate savings and growth but which the Member States will not take forward on their own – such as marine knowledge, maritime spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management and integrated maritime surveillance and adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change on coastal areas.
In addition to the four pillars, the EMFF will include accompanying measures in the areas of data collection and scientific advice, control, governance, fisheries markets (including outermost regions), voluntary payments to Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and technical assistance. It will build on the actions relating to fisheries and maritime policy that will be supported under the Common Strategic Framework for Research and Innovation.
The policy will be complemented by two international instruments:
•Fisheries Partnerships Agreements (FPAs) which establish a legal, economic and environmental framework for fishing activities carried out by EU fishing vessels in the waters of third countries which are not in a position to fully exploit their fish stocks sustainably by themselves.
•Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), which are international bodies composed of States, Regional Economic Integration Organisations (the EU) and fishing entities established to ensure the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources in the high seas.

IMPLEMENTATION
The architecture of the legal acts on which the programmes are based will be greatly simplified. A single EMFF will be created, integrating under one framework all existing fisheries and maritime instruments, with the exception of International Fisheries Agreements and EU membership in RFMOs. This approach will allow for greater synergies and reduction of administrative burden, in terms of programming, management, monitoring and evaluation, both for Member States and the Commission.
Furthermore, the Common Strategic Framework covering all structural funds will allow measures supporting Maritime and Fisheries policies to be programmed in the other funds covered by the Framework.
The number of expenditure areas under shared management will be increased, giving Member States greater flexibility and a longer term strategic perspective. The EMFF will be covered by the Common Strategic Framework and the Partnership Contracts covering all EU funds under shared management.

PROPOSED BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR 2014-2020
All figures in constant 2011 prices
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and International Fisheries Agreements / RFMOs €6.7 bn