Scottish Government

1 Introduction

The European Fisheries Fund ( EFF) is intended to help secure a sustainable and profitable fisheries industry. ¹ It will grant financial support during the period 2007 to 2013, with a view to help the industry adapt to changing circumstances. The focus of the fund will be support for the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources and achievement of a stable balance between those resources and the capacity of the fleet; strengthening the competitiveness of the industry; promoting environmentally friendly fishing and production methods; providing adequate support to people employed in the sector; fostering the sustainable development of fisheries areas; and supporting sustainable growth and diversification in the aquaculture and fisheries processing sectors.

Council Regulation ( EC) No 1198/2006 (the " EFF Regulation") requires Member States to draw up a National Strategic Plan. The UK National Strategic Plan draws together the strategic priorities of the UK in implementing the Common Fisheries Policy. The EFF Regulation also requires an Operational Programme to be drawn up and this has to be approved by the Commission. Guiding principles for the development of the Operational Programme, and information on the content of it, are set out in the EFF Regulation. In addition, there are detailed rules on implementation set out in Commission Regulation ( EC) No 498/2007 which have been followed in this document.

This UK Operational Programme for the EFF contains a detailed analysis of the fisheries industry ( Chapter 2), the strategy and objectives ( Chapter 3), the summary of the ex ante evaluation ( Chapter 4), details on each priority axis ( Chapter 5), the finance available ( Chapter 6), and the implementing provisions ( Chapter 7). Throughout this document, the statistics and data used are the latest available at the time of writing.

In the UK we aim to use the fund to support a fisheries industry that is sustainable, profitable, well managed, internationally competitive and helps support thriving, diverse, and sustainable local communities, managed effectively as an integral part of coherent policies for the marine and freshwater environment. The EFF has four priority areas, or axes: measures for the adaptation of the fleet; aquaculture, inland fishing, processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products; measures of collective benefit to the industry; and sustainable development of fisheries areas. A fifth axis funds the technical assistance required to deliver the programme.

The UK has about £97m for the duration of the programme, of which almost £67m is for non-Convergence areas and just over £30m for Convergence areas as explained below. A split between each of the UK administrations has also been agreed; Scotland nearly £39m, England nearly £34m, Northern Ireland nearly £13m, and Wales nearly £12m.

1.1 Convergence and non-Convergence regions

The Convergence objective is aimed at supporting the least economically developed Member States and regions of the Community, according to Council Regulation ( EC) No 1083/2006 laying down the general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund. This makes funding available for regions with average Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) per capita below 75% of the EU average. In terms of the EFF, the Convergence objective results in a separate, ring-fenced budget for Convergence areas.

1.1.1 Geographical Eligibility

The Convergence regions in the UK are:

i) Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly;
ii) West Wales and the Valleys;
iii) Highlands and Islands of Scotland (phasing out region).

The remainder of the UK, i.e. excluding Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, West Wales and the Valleys, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, have non-Convergence status.

The table below shows the Gross Value Added per capita for Convergence and non-Convergence areas in the UK.

UKGVA per capita (£ - current basic prices) ²

The different areas in the UK are shown on the map below.