Aid for projects to promote the regional fishing industry

Applying for the aid

1. The e-services are the primary channel for applying for the aid (E-service for fishery) The application may be saved as a draft and continued later. In the e-services, the application process progresses smoothly, and the client can monitor the process on the service desktop. The e-services apply strong identification.
2. If you are unable to use the e-services, you can use a printable application form instead. The form can be printed or completed electronically after saving it on your computer.
3. Complete the application thoroughly and append the required appendices. Missing information, needs for further clarification and changing the application during the processing may prolong the processing. Detailed instructions for completing the application form are available at regional administration e-services and the ELY Centre website.
4. Submit the application and its appendices either via the regional administration e-services or to the registry of the relevant ELY Centre as an attachment to the ELY Centre’s general online form or by post to the relevant ELY Centre.
5. If the ELY Centre requests you to supplement your application, submit the requested information by the set deadline or negotiate an extension with the relevant authority.
6. After the ELY Centre has received sufficient and correct information for resolving the aid application, it provides an appealable decision. The decision is delivered to the applicant.

Applying for payment

1. Apply for the payment of the aid in compliance with the decision in one or more instalments.
2. If the aid was applied for via the regional administration e-services, submit the payment application and its appendices on the Payments tab in the e-services.
3. If the aid was applied for with the printable form, deliver the payment application to the KEHA Centre’s payment unit or to the ELY Centre’s registry as an attachment to the ELY Centre’s general online form.

The aid may be granted to legally competent entities and companies.

Conditions for receiving the aid:

• social acceptability and general interest of the purpose of use
• need for the aid in relation to the quality and scope of the project
• need for the aid in relation to other public aids received by the applicant
• the aid must not have distortive effects on competition or the market.

The project must be time-limited, of common interest and its results must be publicly available. The project’s duration may be one or several years. The ELY Centre is not committed to further funding, and promotion aid is decided each year based on the application submitted to the ELY Centre and the aid funds available.

The project should be executed in a way least expensive for the society. It should be put out to tender when necessary in compliance with the Act on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts.

Costs eligible for aid are reasonable labour, commission, outsourced service, investment, travel and material costs incurred by the implementation of the project. The salary paid for the work related to the project should not be higher than the salary that would otherwise be paid as a compensation for corresponding work in the concerned entity or company. The entity’s normal operating costs, depreciations and other imputed items are not eligible for aid. The aid may not be used for paying loan instalments. When paying travel costs and daily allowances, the State Travel Regulations must be followed.

As a rule, the ELY Centre does not grant aid to the amount that covers the total cost of the project. Other necessary funding may, in addition to the own contribution, include funds of e.g. municipalities, companies, cooperatives or fisheries regions. Decisions to grant aid for fisheries regions also take account of the use of the region’s operational appropriation. Thus, the aid application should include the budget for the year of the fisheries region project, or if it has not yet been drawn up, the latest budget.

The own contribution may include unpaid work, i.e. voluntary work. The price of voluntary is set at EUR 20 per hour worked, with the exception of mechanically performed work whose eligible cost is EUR 40 per hour worked.

In general, the aid is paid on the basis of approved actual costs, in one or several instalments. In exceptional cases and for justified reasons, part of the aid may be granted in advance.