Between 1994 to 2006, the EU allowed the Member States and EU taxpayers to co-finance the building and modernisation of fishing vessels.
The subsidies were scrapped. Politicians woke up and saw that the rich and large fish fishing boats were getting most of the money and depleting over-fished stocks. Corporate welfare got a bad rap.
Now, fishing ministers and fishing MEPs want to return to the old ways.
You can get a good idea of who is going to profit when the old schemes are re-introduced.
Below, you will information on the grants given for vessels under the fishing partnership agreements and a pdf of the FoI request results.
What’s obvious is that taxpayers paid for the upkeep of large vessels, many involved in fishing in third countries.
The biggest winners were:
ALBATUN DOS €12,338,400.00 IZURDIA € 11,577,600.00 TXORI ARGI € 11,685,600.00 ALAKRANA € 10,682,400.00
The biggest spend countries were:
Germany € 10,364,802.44 Spain € 221,930,707.17 France € 22,211,990.98 UK €317,495.44 Portugal €11,515,151.08
CAMPOLIBRE ALAI
Total cost: €5,932,544,59
Spanish taxpayer:€1,243,763,19
EU taxpayer:€1,483,138,65
Total cost:€380,8857,45
Spanish taxpayer:€19,042,58
EU taxpayer:€133,300,10
Total cost: €667,720,88
Spanish taxpayer:€122,816,97
EU taxpayer:€100,158,13
Total cost:€73,800,00
Spanish taxpayer:€3,690,00
EU taxpayer:€25,830
Total cost:€181,024,30
Spanish taxpayer:€9,051,22
EU taxpayer:€63,358,50
Total cost:€274,194,33
Spanish taxpayer:€13,709,70
EU taxpayer:€95,968,03
Total cost:€280,431,69
Spanish taxpayer:€14,021,60
EU taxpayer:€98,151,07
Total cost:€509,372,19
Spanish taxpayer:€25,468,60
EU taxpayer:€196,472,53
Total cost:€1,625,705,25
Spanish taxpayer:€81,285,38
EU taxpayer:€568,997,52
Total cost:€2,844,938,14
Spanish taxpayer:€454,705,21
EU taxpayer: €493,289,55
Total cost:€2,612,726,11
Spanish taxpayer:€130,636,30
EU taxpayer:€914,454,14
Total Cost:€2,411,999,99
Spanish Taxpayer:€120,600
EU Taxpayer:€844,199,99
Total cost: €1,337,665,70
Spanish Taxpayer:€66,883,28
EU taxpayer:€468,183,00
Total cost: €245,955,89
Spanish taxpayer: €4,833,12
EU taxpayer:€59,874,60
Spain
Modernisation: €96,420
Spanish taxpayer:€14,463
EU taxpayer: €14,463
Spain
4 Modernisation Grants:
Total Cost: €528,118.58
Spanish Taxpayer: €139,733,35
EU Taxpayer: €91,932,91
Germany – GERDA MARIA
Total Cost: €3.019.200
German taxpayer:€150,96
EU taxpayer: €1.056.720
Country of Origin
Spain. Subsidies 2000-2006 3 rounds of modernisation cost: €908,247,32;
Spanish taxpayer contribution: €156,801,34
European taxpayer contribution: € 136,242,52
