Over 7.8 million to support the competitiveness of fishing enterprises

Sustainable fishing, competitiveness, and ecological transition. These, in short, are the objectives the Sicilian Regional Government is aiming to achieve through three new calls for proposals with a total financial endowment of EUR 7.83 million, published a few days ago by the Regional Department of Mediterranean Fisheries and addressed to enterprises in the Sicilian fishing sector, as part of the sustainable development strategies envisaged by the Feampa (the European fund dedicated to fishing and maritime affairs) programming for the 2021-2027 period.

"The three notices," emphasised Salvatore Barbagallo, the councillor for agriculture and Mediterranean fishing, "aim to support strategic interventions to make Sicilian fishing more modern, safe, environmentally friendly, and competitive, in line with the European Green Deal and the specificities of the island.

In detail, the first call aims to strengthen sustainable fishing activities. Actions eligible for public funding include the modernisation of equipment, the adaptation of processing areas, and the management of waste resulting from fishing activities. The budget for this specific call is EUR 3 million and the contribution for each beneficiary can be up to a maximum of EUR 200,000.

The second call is dedicated to small-scale coastal fishing enterprises. As in the first, the budget is €3 million, with a maximum eligible expenditure for each beneficiary of €150,000. Finally, the third call for proposals encourages energy efficiency in the sector through the replacement or modernisation of fishing vessel engines up to 24 metres in length. The budget for the call is EUR 1.83 million and the aid intensity for each beneficiary is set at EUR 100,000.