EMFAF Programme and national strategy 2021-2027
The EMFAF Programme 2021–2027 was developed under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, with the support of experts and in close coordination with the competent federal and provincial authorities as well as sector representatives.
The partnership was extensively involved in the development of the programme content. As part of the involvement of stakeholders and the professional public in the drafting process, there was an opportunity to submit comments on the draft EMFAF Programme from the end of November until the end of December 2020. Several comments were received; however, the authors did not consent to their publication.
In the first half of 2021, the draft programme was revised, taking into account the comments received. At the same time, adjustments were made in relation to the EU legal framework that had since been finalised. At the end of August 2021, the Austrian programme was officially submitted to the European Commission (EC) as the first EMFAF Programme in the European Union. On 20 July 2022, it was approved by the Commission as one of the first EMFAF Programmes.
The framework for the content of the EMFAF Programme 2021–2027 is laid down in the EMFAF Regulation. The programme is aligned with the relevant European strategies, in particular the Green Deal, the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union and the European Commission’s Strategic Guidelines for a More Sustainable and Competitive EU Aquaculture. At national level, Austria’s National Strategic Plan for Aquaculture and Fisheries (NSP-AF) 2021–2027 sets out the key strategic and substantive framework for the EMFAF Programme (both documents can be found below under “Downloads”). The NSP-AF was developed taking into account the above-mentioned EU strategies and is intended to contribute to achieving the EU’s objectives. The overarching objective of the NSP-AF is to ensure a sustainable and resilient Austrian aquaculture and fisheries sector that contributes as effectively as possible to EU objectives such as the green economy, the digital transition and innovation.
The EMFAF Programme is based on a comprehensive analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as the resulting needs identified (see the link to the SWOT analysis below). In particular, the EMFAF Programme aims to secure a sustainable Austrian aquaculture and fisheries sector and to support its sustainable development.
As in the predecessor programme, the EMFF 2014–2020, the programme focuses on increasing aquaculture production through grants for investments and accompanying measures such as education, data collection, processing and marketing. In general, the programme places a strong emphasis on climate protection, climate change adaptation, and energy and resource efficiency.
The programme provides for two priority axes and four specific objectives. These are implemented through seven types of measures, as illustrated in the table and graphics below.
Following the first amendment, a total budget of Euro 20 million in public funding has been allocated to the Austrian programme. Of this amount, approximately Euro 6.7 million is provided by the EU through the EMFAF, while around Euro 13.3 million comes from national public funding provided by the federal government and the provinces (financed in a ratio of 60:40). This means that the programme has expanded and that the total funding available has increased significantly, despite a reduction in EU funding compared with the previous programming period 2014–2020.