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Targets for the use of maritime policy funds under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in 2020

Government Communications Department
Publication date 9.7.2020 14.05
News item 7/2020

The steering group for maritime policy funds under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has decided to finance four new maritime policy projects. The decisions are based on the plan for the use of marine policy funds in 2020.

The purpose of the funds allocated through Finland’s action plan on the use of maritime policy funds under the EMFF is to promote the effectiveness of national maritime policy. With this in mind, the funds are targeted at measures seeking to promote cooperation between different sectors of government, achieve cost savings and improve the effectiveness of administrative activities. In addition, the aim is to allocate funds to actions that will have the greatest impact or that will produce long-term benefits and added value for the development of marine livelihoods or the improvement of the state of the sea.

The new projects to be funded in 2020 will make a concrete contribution to the priorities defined for the development of maritime policy. The projects also highlight very clearly how extensive a policy area maritime policy is in reality. The objectives of the new projects include improving the state of the Baltic Sea, enhancing the technical development of maritime surveillance and strengthening maritime cluster cooperation at the national and international level.

The goal of the project led by the Baltic Sea Action Group is to improve the state of the Baltic Sea by reducing the discharge of grey water and food waste into the sea. The project aims to increase the amount of waste discharged on land, for example through voluntary changes in operators’ methods and practices. The two-year project has been granted EUR 485,000 in EMFF funding.

The project led by the Border Guard, for its part, aims to introduce a common information exchange environment for maritime surveillance. The project will build connections and introduce information services through a common information exchange environment for European maritime areas and will provide information services to other European maritime monitoring authorities that are authorised to use them. The two-year project has been granted EUR 500,000 in EMFF funding.

The project led by the Finnish Shipowners Association aims to strengthen maritime cluster cooperation nationally and internationally, to promote networking and the exchange of information between operators, and to develop and share relevant expertise. Its objectives are to promote the visibility of the maritime cluster and to improve opportunities for the Finnish maritime cluster to become a world leader in areas including environmental technology and digitalisation. The year-long project has been granted EUR 96,850 in EMFF funding.

The project led by the Turku University of Applied Sciences also focuses on developing the competitiveness of the maritime industry. The objective of the project, in collaboration with maritime operators from Southwest Finland, is to bring together a group of major European maritime industry areas that will deepen their strategic cooperation on research, training and influencing at the EU-level. The project, which will last one year and four months, has been granted EUR 151,920 in EMFF funding.

Inquiries: Jussi Soramäki, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 330, [email protected] and Heikki Kontro, Project Coordinator, tel. +358 295 160 977,  [email protected],Prime Minister’s Office