Emilia – Romagna Coast FLAG is the name of the local action group active in the fishing sector for the entire territory of the Emilia-Romagna Region, with a unified and shared strategy for the development of the fishing and aquaculture sector from Goro up to in Cattolica. Within the FLAG the stakeholders are represented by the Municipalities and Marinerie of the coast, by private associations in the fishing and aquaculture sector and other sectors such as crafts, commerce, tourism, by associations representing civil society. The Emilia-Romagna Region in implementation of the P.O. EMFF 2014/2020 priority n.4 (OT.8) – “Community-led local development” has assigned to the FLAG 5,000,000.00 euros for the implementation of the strategy and 273,000.00 euros for cooperation activities.
Composition: Municipalities and fishing Communities of the coast, private associations of the fishery and aquacolture sectors and of other sectors like craftsmanship, commerce, tourism, associations to represent civil society
STRATEGY
The organization of a single partnership of the entire coastal area of Emilia-Romagna, characterized by the presence of fishing and aquaculture activities, is based on the strategic choice of developing a common sustainable development plan, aimed at intervening to enhance the value of the coastal area, fish production, its historical, cultural, gastronomic, social and environmental peculiarities and contribute to the integrated qualification of local resources of fisheries and maritime activities in fisheries and aquaculture areas, including the cultural heritage linked to the traditions of the sea, fishing, aquaculture and valleys.
A development strategy that is intertwined in a transversal way with the following themes indicated by the CLLD approach:
– Development and innovation of local supply chains and production systems (agri-food, craft and manufacturing, fish production);
– Enhancement and management of environmental and natural resources;
– Economic and social diversification linked to changes in the fisheries sector. Following the strategic priorities.
THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES OF THE FLAG OF THE EMILIA-ROMAGNA COAST
1 QUALITY
– Qualification of fishing and aquaculture sites
– Improvement of the quality of fish production
– Qualification of environmental resources for fisheries and aquaculture
2 VALUE ADDED
– Increase the added value of the coastal area by integrating fishing and tourism
– Support innovative production and marketing processes for increase the added value of fish production
3 KNOWLEDGE
– Promote forms of knowledge and learning aimed at operators, schools and communities in the FLAG area
– Promoting the coast and its seafood outwards
MONITORING AND SELF-ASSESSMENT OF THE EMILIA-ROMAGNA COAST FLAG STRATEGY
As part of the Local Development Strategy (LDS), a monitoring and self-evaluation of the results obtained was carried out, aimed at collecting the necessary elements to verify whether the results obtained and the actions carried out comply with what was expected and to understand what improvements to make for a possible next strategy. The methodology put in place is divided into a quantitative evaluation – aimed at assessing the achievement of result and impact indicators and financial capacity -, a qualitative evaluation – through surveys, focus groups, self-assessment with members of the Governing Council and FLAG officials – as well as ex ante and ex post monitoring carried out by the FLAG with specific targets for pilot actions.
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THE DISTRICT OF FLAG
It includes the entire coastal strip of the Emilia Romagna Region, for a total of 130 km, where fishing and lagoon fish farming have a centuries-old tradition. The most practiced fishing techniques are trawling, with steering wheel, hydraulic dredge and with gill gear.
Relevant is the activity of aquaculture and mariculture with two main activities: the breeding of clam on the lagoon bottom and the suspension breeding of mussels in the sea.
Together with fishing, thanks also to the environmental and geographical characteristics, economic development has been closely linked to tourist activities, in particular with the offer of summer coastal seaside tourism.
Numbers:
Population 187.462 inhab
Pop. Density: 27208 inhab/ km2
Area: 689.000 km2
Employment in the fish sector: 4347, the 2,31% of the total employments of the area, including fishermen and people occupied in aquaculture, transformation and commerce
THE LOCAL ACTION PLAN
Resources:
The Emilia-Romagna Region in implementation of the P.O. FEAMP 2014/2020 priority n.4 (OT.8) – CLLD (Community-Led Local Development), awarded the FLAG 5.000.000,00 euros for the implementation of the strategy and 273.000,00 euros for the cooperation activities.
Targets:
- Qualify all stages of the supply chain to increase competitiveness and improve the quality and sustainability of fish production;
- Improve the management of environmental resources for fishery and aquaculture;
- Increase the added value of the coastal area favoring innovation processes and also the integration between fishing and tourism;
- Promote the learning and creation of new job opportunities, raise awareness of the community on fish resources and the value of fishermen, increase the opportunities for marketing of products and knowledge of fishing Communities.
These targets will be pursued through the realization of:
Action 1.A: Coordinated planning to qualify areas of disembarkation and boarding
Action 1.B: Improvement intervention for embarking and disembarking places
Action 1.C: Improvement intervention of productions and places where the activity of the fishing operator takes place
Action 2.A: Marine and lagoon habitats
Action 3.A: Product and activity diversification
Action 4.A: Informazione e formazione
Action 4.A.1: Environmental and food education
Action 4.A.2: Information
Action 4.B: Integration between fishing, tourism and marine culture
Action 4.B.1: Promotion and communication of fishing Communities
Action 4.B.2: Staging of the places that remind of fishing Communities culture
Action 4.C: Networks and governance
Action 4.D: Cooperation
Beneficiaries:
- Emilia-Romagna Coast FLAG;
- Public Authorities;
- Workers in the fishing industry and processing companies (individual or associated)
- Universities, Research Centers, networks of multisectoral companies;
- Producer organizations and / or Producer associations (single or associated);
- Beneficiaries indicated in L.R. 22/2014
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) is the main instrument supporting the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which aims to improve the social, economic and environmental sustainability of Europe’s seas and coasts between 2014 and 2020 by supporting local projects, businesses and local communities.
Some of the funds provided by the EMFF are also earmarked for FLAGs (Fisheries Local Action Groups), composed of representatives of local socio-economic interests, both public and private, in a given coastal area.
Each FLAG will have to develop a participatory local development strategy with the aim of “strengthening the long-term development of fishing areas, improving their quality of life by integrating actions aimed at protecting and enhancing the landscape, the qualification of the offer/accessibility to services for the community, the strengthening of local planning and management capacity, the enhancement of resources, simultaneously generating additional employment and income opportunities and improving the attractiveness of fishing areas both from the point of view of companies and from that of the population “.