Spain offers guidance on European funding for a fishing sector based on blue economy

The Secretary General for Fisheries, Isabel Artime, has presented the first edition of the workshop 'Funding Opportunities for the Blue Economy,' which provides attendees with information on the main European and national financial instruments available to promote economic sustainability in the maritime and fishing sectors.

Among the topics covered were the calls directly managed by the European Commission for the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the Horizon Europe and LIFE programs, and territorial cooperation initiatives such as Interreg.

National funding alternatives were also presented, including those offered by the Ministry, the Biodiversity Foundation, the financial entity ABANCA Mar, and the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI).

Finally, the attendees presented their project proposals and received constructive feedback from financing experts. Ideas were exchanged, and collaborations were formed.

Emphasizing the blue economy

The Secretary believes that fishing and aquaculture, as economic activities that depend on the sea, are fundamental pillars of the blue economy linked to sustainability and innovation.

"It is a reality we build every day, reducing the environmental footprint and creating jobs, with companies and fishing guilds betting on digitalization and diversification, such as maritime tourism or biotechnology, and with processing and marketing companies that add value to our products," she emphasized.

For these reasons, the Ministry launched the initiative 'Spanish Network of Knowledge Spaces for the Blue Economy,' which brings together 20 entities, including universities, technological centers, and associations, to promote research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) and the acquisition of knowledge.

Additionally, Artime advocates for continuing to offer monthly publications on the blue economy, which spread information on European, national, and regional funding opportunities, complemented by weekly alerts for the sector.

According to newly-released data from the European Union's statistics service Eurostat, Spain was the largest aquaculture producer by weight in 2023, responsible for just over 23% of the EU's aquaculture volume, followed by France with 17.8%, Greece with 13.4%, and Italy with 12.3%.