Subject: Complementarity between the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and other EU funds
In accordance with the RRF Regulation1, actions should avoid double funding from the Facility and from other Union programmes for the same expenditure, and the Commission and Member States should safeguard complementarity among sources of funding.
As part of the Spanish recovery, transformation and resilience plan, Investment 9 of Component 3 aims to ‘promote sustainability, research, innovation and digitalisation in the fisheries sector’ and prioritises the ‘digitalisation of fishing-fleet surveillance2’, although the Fisheries Control Regulation reform has not yet been finalised.
At the same time, under the Regulation establishing the new European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)3, at least 15% of the EU financial support to each Member State is to be allocated for the specific objective of fostering efficient fisheries control and enforcement.
1. Without addressing the merits of focusing RRF expenditure on fisheries control, how will the Commission ensure complementarity between the RRF and EMFAF funding for the digitalisation of fleet control systems and avoid double funding?
2. Given that control is so important under the EMFAF, does the Commission not believe that RRF funds could be allocated to other productive investments in the fishery sector?
1 Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing
the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17).
2 Recovery, transformation and resilience plan, Component 3: https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/temas/fondos-
recuperacion/Documents/16062021-Componente3.pdf
3 Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing the
European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, and amending Regulation (EU) No 2017/1004 (OJ L 247, 13.7.2021, p. 1).
Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission (11 January 2022)
The Commission will assess the Spanish European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) programme, including its complementarity and synergies with the actions on the fisheries, aquaculture and the marine environment to be supported by other EU financing instruments such as the Spanish Resilience, Transformation and Recovery Plan (RRP).
Similarly, the Commission services were consulted widely to ensure that actions supported by the RRP are complementary with other funds and respecting existing EU legislation.
In order to ensure effective coordination and complementarity of EU funding in accordance with Article 28 of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation, Spain shall include in its reporting whether any investment or reform supported under its RRP has received or is receiving funding from any other EU programme and, if so, the relevant amount.
The Commission and Spain shall discuss the coordination and complementarity with other EU funding during their at least quarterly exchanges on the RRP.
Fisheries control is of utmost importance for the implementation of the common fisheries policy (CFP). The EMFAF Regulation provides that at least 15% of the EU financial support allocated per Member State must be allocated to the programme prepared to foster efficient fisheries control and enforcement (4).
Any additional efforts made by Member States to improve fisheries control and enforcement via other sources of funding such as the RRP are welcomed by the Commission, which will ensure that such efforts are in line with the common fisheries polic y (5) and the Control (6) regulations.
⋅1∙ Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021,
p. 17).
⋅2∙ Recovery, transformation and resilience plan, Component 3: https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/temas/fondos-recuperacion/Documents/16062021-Componente3.pdf
⋅3∙ Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 establishing the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, and
amending Regulation (EU) No 2017/1004 (OJ L 247, 13.7.2021, p. 1).
⋅4∙ Including fighting against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing, as well as reliable data for knowledge-based decision-making.
⋅5∙ Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the common fisheries policy, amending Council
Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC, (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22‐61).
⋅6∙ Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common
fisheries policy, amending Regulations (EC) No 847/96, (EC) No 2371/2002, (EC) No 811/2004, (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 2115/2005, (EC) No 2166/2005, (EC) No 388/2006, (EC) No 509/2007, (EC) No 676/2007, (EC) No 1098/2007, (EC) No 1300/2008, (EC) No 1342/2008 and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93, (EC) No 1627/94 and (EC) No 1966/2006, (OJ L 343, 22.12.2009, p. 1‐50).
| | ) Under shared management, it is also Member States’ responsibility to comply with all applicable rules for the use of EU funds, including state aid rules.