The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has allocated 10,084,055.71 euros to support economically affected operators in the "Fisheries" sector, as the crisis in the Middle East has led to additional costs and lost income. The call for project proposals has already begun under three procedures based on the Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture Program 2021–2027 (EMFAF). The eligible period for aid under all procedures is from March 1 to December 31, 2026.
The financial assistance is distributed across the three subsectors as follows:
- "Processing of fishery and aquaculture products" subsector: through the procedure "Market Offering – Compensations – Processing of fishery and aquaculture products subsector", 5,084,055.71 euros have been allocated. The funds will cover increased costs for raw materials, electricity, and staff wages.
- "Aquaculture" subsector: through the procedure "Market Offering – Compensations – Aquaculture subsector", 3,500,000 euros have been secured. These resources are aimed at aquaculture production holdings to compensate for feed, personnel, and electricity costs.
- "Fisheries" subsector: under the procedure "Market Offering – Compensations – Fisheries subsector", a budget of 1,500,000 euros is available. The support is intended for owners or lessees of fishing vessels (commercial fishing operators) to compensate for personnel and fuel costs.
The following limits have been established for applications: the maximum non-repayable financial aid for a single project under each of the three procedures is 300,000 euros, while the total compensation for a single beneficiary across the different subsectors cannot exceed 540,000 euros.
The acceptance of project proposals will take place in three stages with the following deadlines:
- First call: until 17:00 on October 18, 2026;
- Second call: until 17:00 on November 17, 2026;
- Third call: until 17:00 on December 17, 2026.
These funds for supporting the fishing sector are significant for the economic stability of the coastal municipalities in the Burgas region.
The procedure requires that proposals be submitted entirely electronically. Applicants must use a qualified electronic signature (QES) and submit documents via the "E-application" module in the Information System for Management and Monitoring of Funds from European Funds under Shared Management (ISUM).