The Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology published today two ordinances in the Official Journal for the implementation of Local Development and Community-Based (DLBC) under the Sea 2020 Operational Programme.

One of the ordinances published today (Ordinance no. 61/2017) approves the Regulation on the Support Scheme to DLBC under “Preparatory Support”. It aims to promote the sustainable development of coastal areas that depend on fishing and aquaculture, through the support to the establishment of “Local Development Strategies” towards the recognition of Local Action Groups in the Fisheries Sector (GAL-PESCA) for the Azores.

This Support Scheme is open to the five pre-qualified partnerships in the first phase of implementation of DLBC in the Azores, namely ADELIAÇOR MAR, GRATERMAR, ARDEPESCA 2020, ASDEPR and Açores Oriental. The public support rate for eligible operation expenses is set at 100% and is limited to 20 thousand Euros per operation.

The invitation for the submission of applications, addressed to these five partnerships, had already been published in the “Electronic Desk 2020” in July, with a view to the second phase of the implementation of DLBC in the Region. 
The applications under this invitation, which intends to approve “Local Development Strategies” and the recognition of Local Action Groups, may be submitted until October 9, 2016.

The Regional Secretariat also published today in the Official Journal the Ordinance (no.62/2017) that approves the Regulation on the Support Scheme to “Implementation of DLBC Strategies” corresponding to the GAL-PESCA intervention territories for the Azores that may be recognised.

The support provided for in this regulation intends to “promote strategic and operation collaboration among partners,” through GAL-PESCA, in order to diversify the economies of fishing and coastal areas by promoting entrepreneurship, sustainable and quality employment, social innovation and responses to social exclusion.

These support measures are directed to individuals or legal persons in the public, cooperative, social or private sector, whether profit or non-profit, that meet the conditions stipulated in the Support Scheme now published as well as in the future opening notices of applications proposed by GAL-PESCA and approved by the regional Coordinator for the Sea 2020,

The rate of public support is set, for most cases, at 85% of eligible operation expenses and may be raised to 100% in individual cases.
The overall public support per operation is limited to 150 thousand Euros in the cases where, simultaneously, operations are promoted by public entities and do not generate profit, and to 75% in the remaining cases.

With this new measure, “coastal communities will be able to establish local development strategies with the aim of promoting innovation in the sector, the training of people and fishing institutions or the preservation, conservation and enhancement of our resources.”

Gui Menezes defended that GAL-PESCA may reinforce “the competitiveness of fisheries, the improvement of fish marketing channels, entrepreneurship and employment promotion.” Adding that these groups will bring “added value to the communities that are more dependent on fishing activities in the Region.”