Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The EMFAF supports the EU common fisheries policy (CFP), the EU maritime policy and the EU agenda for international ocean governance. It provides support for developing innovative projects ensuring that aquatic and maritime resources are used sustainably.
The fund helps achieve sustainable fisheries and conserve marine biological resources. This leads to:
- food security through the supply of seafood products
- growth of a sustainable blue economy
- healthy, safe and sustainably managed seas and oceans
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The objective of this call for proposals is to facilitate sea basin cooperation on Maritime Spatial Planning in the EU, including through the effective implementation of Directive 2014/89 establishing a framework for MSP.
This call is intended to fund projects to develop innovative responses to tackle specific challenges that EU Member States might encounter when putting into effect, monitoring and/or revising their Maritime Spatial Plans.
Detailed Call Description
Many of these challenges are common to coastal Member States. There is thus a shared interest in developing innovative responses that can apply within a sea basin and/or across sea basins. This means that projects should bring together participants from different Member States, located in a sea basin, or from different sea basins.
Proposals are expected to develop innovative responses to tackle the above-mentioned specific challenges that EU Member States might encounter in the implementation and/or revision of their Maritime Spatial Plans. Hereunder is an indicative list of priorities related to the aforementioned challenges:
- Utilise MSP to preserve and protect marine biodiversity, support offshore renewable energy development, and ensure the sustainable food production, while integrating adaptive and mitigation strategies to address climate change impacts.
- Implement an Ecosystem-Based Approach (EBA) within MSP to promote resilience against climate change and ensure environmental sustainability, adaptability, and flexibility in marine resource management
- Developing strategies and approaches to monitor, review/revise maritime spatial plans to make them future proof, more coherent (e.g. with implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive) and more integrated especially in a sea basin context.
- Analysing how MSPs identify and address sectoral conflicts and the socioeconomic implications, and how to increase stakeholders and public involvement and ownership.
- Addressing data gaps and challenges in the collection, harmonisation, standardisation, integration and use of data in the MSP context.
- Promoting ocean literacy through MSP.
Applicants should build their proposal around some of these priorities.
Projects must undertake one or more of the following main activities as part of the project implementation:
- Specific activities aimed at implementing provisions set out in articles 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the MSP Directive, including the review and/or revisions of maritime spatial plans;
- Specific activities aimed at implementing provisions set out in article 10 of the MSP Directive (Data use and sharing);
- Specific activities aimed at implementing provisions set out in article 11 of the MSP Directive (Cooperation among Member States);
- Specific activities aimed at implementing provisions set out in article 12 of the MSP Directive (Cooperation with third countries)
The total available call budget is €1.700 000. Project budgets (maximum grant amount) are expected to range between €700.000 and €1.000.000 per project.
The number of proposals expected to be funded is up to 2.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
80%
The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.
Thematic Categories
- Environment and Climate Change
- Fisheries/ Aquaculture and Maritime Policy
Eligibility for Participation
- Fishermen, Aquaculturists, Owners of Vessels
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be legal entities (public or private bodies), established in EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)) and be public authorities or bodies. Participation of legal entities established in non-EU countries participating in the relevant sea basin strategies and/or regional cooperation frameworks is possible only when it is necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the action. Individual proposals from non-EU countries are not eligible.
Consortium composition
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 2 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities), which complies with the following conditions:
- Minimum 2 entities from 2 different eligible countries.
- Applicants must be public authorities or bodies in charge of maritime spatial planning of those coastal Member States which are responsible for MSP in the selected area and/or regional organisation that has competences in Maritime Spatial Planning or activities concerned by Maritime Spatial Planning (nature protection, development of offshore renewables, fisheries). Other public authorities or bodies shall be considered eligible applicants provided that they are endorsed by the public authorities or bodies in charge of Maritime Spatial Planning at national level in the related coastal Member States.
The coordinator must be established in an EU Member State.