The programme, which was approved by the European Commission on 1 December this year, is an implementing document that will make EUR 34.2 million of funding available to Slovenia in the new financial period, including EUR 24 million of EU funding and EUR 10 million of national funding.

The programme, which was approved by the European Commission on 1 December this year, is an implementing document that will make EUR 34.2 million of funding available to Slovenia in the new financial period, including EUR 24 million of EU funding and EUR 10 million of national funding.

The Programme for the Implementation of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund in the Republic of Slovenia for the period 2021-2027 (EMFAF 2021-2027) is the programming document for implementing the Common Fisheries Policy, the Integrated Maritime Policy and the Environment Policy. The EMFAF 2021-2027 programme is set in the broader context of the Green Transition of the commercial fishing, aquaculture and processing sectors, and pursues in particular the objectives of the Strategy from Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Strategic Guidelines for Aquaculture 2030. "The funding will be used to promote the sustainability of the fisheries, aquaculture and processing sector, and will also finance projects related to the conservation of biodiversity and good environmental status, as well as projects related to the maintenance of maritime surveillance," said Minister Irena Šinko. In terms of interventions, Slovenia allocates 44% of its EMFAF funds to environment and climate change, and 27% to biodiversity. “Development without conservation of resources and biodiversity will not be sustainable in the long term," said Minister Šinko at the press conference.

A strong priority of the EMFAF programme is funding for Community Led Local Development – CLLD. EUR 12,996,726 million is earmarked for this approach. This decision was taken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food in cooperation with representatives of the various sectors, on the basis of previous experience and taking into account the challenges: the state of fishery resources, the need to make the fishing and aquaculture sectors more resilient, and the need to strengthen short chains.

Local Development Strategies will enable an even more effective response to the challenges of the selected local area, focusing on a green, blue and innovative future for the local area and the sectors involved. CLLD projects can help raise the profile of the fishing, aquaculture and processing sectors, and raise awareness among local people of the benefits of fishing, aquaculture and its products for human nutrition and health, the state of nature and the environment, while responding very quickly to the nutritional needs of the local population.

The modernisation of fishing vessels in the context of the green transition will be made possible for the commercial marine fishing sector, with the aim of ensuring the energy efficiency of the fishing fleet. It will be possible to replace fishing gear with more selective gear. Fishermen are also expected to participate in a number of biodiversity conservation projects. The selected activities, worth EUR 8.3 million, will contribute to the objectives of the GFCM 2030 Strategy for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Particular emphasis is placed on promoting aquaculture production and the processing of fishery products. The EMFAF will allow diversification and thus investment in aquaculture as a complementary activity on the farm. The green transition of the sector is foreseen through investments to promote energy efficiency, in closed water recirculation systems and innovation. Opportunities will be given for breeding new species, for multi-trophic aquaculture at sea. Algae farming is also an important part of the blue bioeconomy, contributing to decarbonisation of the sector and carbon neutrality by 2050. The Fund will also provide opportunities for organic farming in warm-water aquaculture and shellfish farming.

In the field of marketing, the Fund will contribute to the promotion of local production and supply, making a significant contribution to the Farm to Fork Strategy. The preservation of short chains will be promoted. Smaller family-run fish farms will thus have easier access to earmarked funds from the Fund, and will be encouraged to introduce technological solutions to better exploit natural resources, improve their own products, and sell them to the final consumer. The Fund will allow research to be carried out on the nutritional values of shellfish, which will help guide promotional activities and increase their inclusion in a balanced human diet. Through this project, the Fund will contribute to the implementation of the Adriatic-Ionian Macro-regional Strategy.

Promotional activities will also raise awareness about the benefits of organic farming and quality schemes for aquaculture products. As part of these activities, some of the funding will be used to promote EU aquaculture, which has been identified as a key need in the EU Strategic Aquaculture Guidelines. EUR 10.4 million is earmarked to promote sustainable aquaculture and the processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products.

In the context of marine and ocean management interventions and the dissemination of marine knowledge, support will be given to the implementation of species-specific monitoring (e.g. of molluscs, the European shag, and bottlenose dolphins), and to the monitoring of the implementation of the Marine Spatial Plan, which has recently been adopted in Slovenia.

Ana Le Marechal, Director-General of the Food and Fisheries Directorate, said in her presentation of the programme that the first calls for tenders are expected to be launched in the second half of next year.