The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated "the European Commission approved today the "Compensation Plan for Additional Costs of Fish Products in the Azores," common known as POSEI-FISHERIES. This decision follows the recent approval of the Operational Programme "SEA 2020," funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

"Under POSEI-FISHERIES for the period 2014-2016, the Azores will receive 30.6 million Euros, i.e., 4.4 million Euros. This corresponds to an increase of 51% compared to the programming period 2007-2013," stressed Fausto Brito e Abreu.

The Regional Secretary expressed his satisfaction with this decision, stressing that the approval of this compensation plan was "long awaited by Azorean fishers and it already comes late." According to him, it "should be fully implemented during the first half of next year."

The categories of fish products to be supported, the maximum quantities associated with each category, eligible species and level of compensation for additional costs have been defined taking into account several parameters, such as the data on unloadings, regional production and shipments outside the Region, the quantities supported under the Compensation Plan in force in 2007-2013, the stipulated value for additional costs, and the annual financial package provided to the Regional Compensation Plan.

In order to determine additional costs, the Regional Secretariat for the Sea counted on the collaboration of industry partners that will benefit from POSEI-FISHERIES, namely shipowners and operators in the sectors of fish processing and marketing based in the Azores on an individual basis or through their associations.

The plan now approved by the European Commission, as in the period 2007-2013, provides the allocation of support for the eligible species in three product categories: fresh fish to be marketed in Europe, with a maximum support of 704 Euros per tonnes for a maximum eligible quantity of 2,700 tonnes; frozen or prepared fish for marketing in Europe, with a maximum support of 81 Euros per tonnes for an eligible maximum quantity of 994 tonnes; tuna of regional or Community origin delivered to the processing industry, with a maximum support of 240 Euros per tonnes for a maximum eligible quantity of 10 thousand tonnes.

Until 2013, POSEI-FISHERIES had been supported by a financial line that was independent from the EU budget, being provided with its own regulation and management structures. However, with the new rules of EMFF, and from 2014, this specific support programme for Outermost Region has become part of the national operational programmes of Member States, including Spain, France and Portugal.
 
Consequently, the applications to POSEI-FISHERIES had to be suspended during the years 2014 and 2015 until the adoption of the Operational Programme "SEA 2020" and the new Compensation Plan by the European Commission, followed now by its implementation phase.

Fausto Brito e Abreu recalled that "SEA 2020" is a national programme and, therefore, "most procedures for its implementation must be defined nationwide or previously agreed between national and regional authorities."

"The Government of the Azores intends to award high priority status to the implementation of POSEI-FISHERIES and has scheduled meetings with the National Government for this purpose," Brito e Abreu said, assuring that everything will be done so that "the payments under POSEI-FISHERIES concerning 2014 and 2015 can be made during the first half of next year."