In the current year, we plan to open admissions under ten procedures from the Program for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (PMDRA) 2021-2027. This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Georgi Sabev and head of the PMDRA Governing Body during the first meeting of the Committee for monitoring, which also announced the official launch of the Program for the period 2021-2027. Its total budget is EUR 121,349,569 million (a little over BGN 237 million) in grant-in-aid, as the allocated financial resource from the European Maritime Fund business, fisheries and aquaculture (EFMDRA) is in the amount of EUR 84,944,698 million or 70% of the total budget, and the national co-financing is EUR 36,404,871 million or 30% of the budget.

"For the fourth year in a row, there was no loss of funds under the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Program 2014-2020, despite the difficult economic situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, thanks to the good cooperation between the teams of the Ministry and DFZ", recalled Georgi Sabev regarding the implementation of the closing program.

"In 2022, the number of terminated contracts increased due to the inability of some of the beneficiaries to fulfill their commitments under the Program," the Deputy Minister noted.

For this reason and in order to support the sector, as well as to minimize the negative effect of the increase in the prices of basic raw materials and materials necessary for the implementation of the activities of the operators, the MA team developed a methodology for providing compensation to the operators in the sector " Fisheries".

"The support is for the temporary suspension of fishing activities, for lost income and for additional costs related to the turmoil in the market in the sub-sectors - fishing, aquaculture and processing", explained Georgi Sabev.

He specified that the first intake was announced at the end of 2022 and is for the temporary suspension of fishing activity, and projects can be submitted under it until March 30, 2023. He added that the intakes for compensation of operators for fuels, fodder and raw materials started at the end of February, with the deadline for submitting project proposals being May 26, 2023.

The allocated financial resource for compensatory measures is a little over BGN 13 million.

A week ago, the European Commission approved the amendment of the PMDR under an accelerated procedure, so that the financial resource for the previously announced admissions could reach the operators in the "Fisheries" sector as soon as possible.

Deputy Minister Georgi Sabev: We will work for an earlier start of turbot fishing and for more intensive participation in international projects in fisheries

The total agreed funds under the Program amount to BGN 164.56 million in grants or 81% of the PMDR budget.

The disbursed funds amount to BGN 124.64 million, or 76% of the total budget.

Certified public funds as of March 2023 are worth.

BGN 119.57 million or 59% of the program budget.

"I am convinced that at the end of 2023 we will catch up with the slight lag in terms of all indicators and no loss of funds will be allowed at the end of the program period," said Deputy Minister Sabev.

And he added that in this regard, in addition to the successful completion of the projects under the national measures, the implementation of the project proposals under the strategies of the Local Initiative Fishery Groups (LIFG) is also being relied upon.

He also said that he is working closely with the team of the National Fisheries Network,

Deputy Minister Sabev thanked the members of the Central Committee of PMDR 2014-2020 for their support in the past years and expressed confidence that the successful cooperation will continue in the future.

Stelianos Mitolidis, head of department in the Directorate General "Maritime and Fisheries" at the EC, also welcomed the participants of the event, recognizing the good results achieved in the work of the Management Authority's team.

"A successful program for the sector has been agreed for the next 10 years.

The Green Deal procedure is very important," he said.

And he added that efforts are being made to develop fisheries until 2050 in the context of the Biodiversity Strategy, the goals of which have already been approved by the member states.

The directorate proposes an action plan in the field of marine work to reduce pressure on the marine environment, expand protected areas, the energy transition initiative, in view of the Ukrainian crisis and increased production costs, with the aim of a smooth transition to a new business model.

He also congratulated Bulgaria for being one of only two EU member states in which the possibility of using financial instruments with co-financing from the thematic program was created.

"During the new period, a total of 12 countries are considering a similar option, but in only two - Bulgaria and Estonia, this is no longer just a theoretical possibility, but an available tool at the disposal of the fishing sector," said the representative of the European Commission.

The members of the Monitoring Committee discussed the indicative annual framework for the new maritime, fisheries and aquaculture programme, as well as the criteria for the procedures planned to be launched this year.

Georgi Sabev