WELCOME to the Aberdeenshire European Fisheries Fund (AEFF) Website.
The AEFF Programme 2012-2015 is now closed for applications. Please visit www.nesflag.org.uk for details of the new NESFLAG EMFF programme.
Aberdeenshire was one of twelve Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) areas in Scotland to benefit from funding through the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) Axis 4 2012-2015 fund.
EFF Axis 4 was an area-based programme to support sustainable development delivered locally through FLAG partnerships. The EFF Axis 4 programme aimed to promote economic diversification and build capacity of fisheries communities across the European Union through local projects that build knowledge and skills and in turn facilitate innovation and cooperation in fisheries areas. EFF Axis 4 funds were not available to support any increase in catching effort.
The AEFF programme was delivered by the Aberdeenshire FLAG. The fisheries industry, the public, private and voluntary sectors were all represented on the Aberdeenshire FLAG whose members assessed and approved applications.
To enable drawdown of EFF Axis 4 funds, AEFF projects were required to secure match-funding from public sector sources such as Aberdeenshire Council, the Coastal Communities Fund (Crown Estate), Scottish Natural Heritage, the National Lottery and Landfill Tax. The AEFF Programme budget was committed by the end of 2013 and the cash drawdown period will extend to December 2015.
24 projects were supported by AEFF between March 2012 and June 2014, with total funding of £650,926 spent in fisheries communities from Portsoy to Johnshaven.
For more information about the AEFF Programme 2012-2015, you can read the AEFF Evaluation Study (click here)
In March 2016, the North East Scotland Fisheries Local Action Group (NESFLAG) was launched as the successor to the Aberdeenshire FLAG. NESFLAG will deliver the Community Led Local Development element of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for the 2014-2020 period.
For more details on the new programme please visit www.nesflag.org.uk
