Malta’s licensed fishers have a live European Union funding window that pays for life beyond the catch — and the clock on the current round runs out at noon on 31 December 2026. Under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2021–2027, Malta’s Diversification of Fishing Activities scheme offers public aid of up to 50% of eligible costs, capped at €75,000 per project, for fishers who build a second income alongside commercial fishing.
This is not a grant for buying a bigger boat or catching more fish. It is the opposite: the scheme exists to help fishing families earn from something complementary — angling tourism, a fish restaurant, environmental services, or fishing education — so that household income no longer depends entirely on what the sea gives in a given season. The call is open to holders of MFA and MFB fishing licences in Malta, and it runs as a rolling call with scheduled cut-off dates. The next — and currently last scheduled — cut-off is 31 December 2026 at noon.
Scheme at a Glance
| Item | Detail (official EMFAF call SO1.1/16/2025, verified 2 November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Diversification of Fishing Activities, Malta |
| Programme | European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2021–2027, Priority 1, Specific Objective 1.1 |
| Who can apply | MFA and MFB licensed fishers in Malta |
| Public aid rate | Maximum 50% of eligible expenditure — applicants finance the remaining 50% |
| Cap per project | €75,000 maximum public aid |
| Indicative call allocation | €500,000 maximum public eligible amount (the Managing Authority may increase or decrease it) |
| Next cut-off | 31 December 2026 at noon (rolling call; early closure or extension is at the Managing Authority’s discretion) |
| How to apply | EMFAF application form, submitted electronically via the Structural Funds Database at sfd.gov.mt/application |
| Queries | fondi.eu@gov.mt |
What the Money Can Fund
The call document lists six eligible investment types. Any other investment can also be financed if it is eligible under the EMFAF Regulation (EU) No 2021/1139:
- Investments on board aimed at creating a business — fitting out a vessel for a complementary activity rather than for catching more fish.
- Angling tourism or any initiative linked to tourism — taking paying visitors out on the water, for example.
- A catering establishment related to fishing activity — a fish restaurant or similar food business tied to the fishing trade.
- Environmental services related to fishing — paid work that protects or restores the marine environment.
- Educational activities concerning fishing — teaching, training or awareness work built on fishing knowledge.
- Retrofitting small-scale coastal fishing vessels for activities complementary to commercial fishing, creating ancillary employment opportunities on land.
The logic is deliberate: every funded activity must diversify the fisher’s income rather than expand fishing effort. That distinction runs through the whole call, including its exclusion list.
What It Will NOT Fund — Read This Before You Apply
Under Article 13 of the EMFAF Regulation, the following are ineligible, and an application built on any of them will fail:
- Anything that increases a vessel’s fishing capacity or its ability to find fish.
- Construction, acquisition or importation of fishing vessels.
- In-kind contributions, preventive or scheduled maintenance, and basic hull maintenance.
- Projects already physically completed or fully implemented before the application is submitted — even if not all payments have been made.
- On-board investments needed to comply with EU law already in force at the time of application.
- On-board investments on vessels that fished for fewer than 60 days in the two calendar years before the year of application.
Two further bars apply to the applicant, not just the project. Under Article 11 of the EMFAF Regulation, operators who committed serious infringements cannot receive funding, and applicants must consent to the Managing Authority confirming with Malta’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture that no penalty points are assigned to the vessel licence. Vessels on the EU IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) list are excluded outright.
The Money, Worked Out Honestly
The 50% rate and the €75,000 cap interact, so plan the budget around both. A €100,000 diversification project can attract at most €50,000 of public aid; a €150,000 project hits the cap at €75,000, not €75,000-plus; and a €200,000 project still stops at €75,000, leaving €125,000 to the applicant. The applicant must finance the remaining 50% of eligible expenditure in every case — this is a co-funded grant, not a full payout.
There is also a durability condition worth knowing before committing. Under Article 65 of the Common Provisions Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, a beneficiary must repay the contribution if, within five years of the accounts in which the final expenditure appears, the productive activity ceases or moves outside Malta, an item changes ownership, or a substantial change undermines the project’s original objective. Treat the grant as a five-year commitment, not a one-off payment.
How to Apply, Step by Step
- Check your licence and record. Confirm you hold an MFA or MFB licence, that no penalty points sit on it, and — for on-board investments — that the vessel fished at least 60 days in the two calendar years before 2026.
- Build a business plan. A business plan supporting the proposed activity is mandatory, and simplified cost options apply to it. The call advises applicants to use advisory or consultancy services for the plan; a list of consultants is published on the fondi.eu EMFAF programme page.
- Complete the EMFAF application form in full. The form has two parts — structured administrative information and a narrative technical description — and must be signed and dated, with all obligatory attachments included. One scanned copy must be signed in blue ink, with each page initialled by the project leader, plus a Word-format copy.
- Submit electronically before the cut-off. Upload everything through the Structural Funds Database at sfd.gov.mt/application by 31 December 2026 at noon. If a required document is missing, the Managing Authority will ask for it — and it must reach them within 5 working days of that request. Only complete applications go before the Project Selection Committee.
- Wait for selection. An independent Project Selection Committee scores each eligible proposal. To qualify, a proposal needs at least 50% of the total marks available and a pass mark in every criterion; 10 extra marks are available for the overall quality of the application form. Funded proposals are ranked by score; passing proposals that miss out go on a reserve list and may be funded if money becomes available.
- If rejected, appeal fast. Aggrieved applicants have 5 working days from the rejection letter to appeal, in writing to the Office of the Prime Minister — European Funds, Equality, Reforms and Social Dialogue, Tal-Pilar 31B, Marsamxett Road, Valletta VLT 1850, or by email to psab.eufunds@gov.mt.
Deadlines: The Rolling Call Explained
| Cut-off date | Status on 2 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| 10 October 2025 | Passed |
| 31 December 2025 | Passed |
| 31 March 2026 | Passed |
| 30 June 2026 | Passed |
| 30 September 2026 | Passed |
| 31 December 2026, noon | Next — and currently last scheduled — cut-off |
Two warnings sit in the call document itself. First, the Managing Authority may close the call early or extend it at its discretion, so the 31 December date is the last scheduled cut-off, not a guaranteed one. Second, the Managing Authority reserves the right to update the call documents as needs emerge. Confirm the current position on fondi.eu before spending money on a business plan.
What This Post Does Not Claim
Honesty matters more than hype here, so note the gaps. The call document states an indicative allocation of €500,000 for the whole call, shared across successful projects — it is not €500,000 per fisher, and no per-applicant figure beyond the €75,000 cap is stated. No success rate or average award is published in the call, so none is claimed here. The information sessions listed in the announcement took place in July 2025 and are not upcoming events. And this scheme is Malta-only: it is open to MFA and MFB licence holders, so fishers licensed elsewhere need their own country’s EMFAF programme, not this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply if I only want to upgrade my fishing gear?
No. Gear that increases fishing capacity or the ability to find fish is expressly ineligible. The project must create a complementary, non-fishing income.
Do I need the business plan before applying?
Yes. A business plan supporting the proposed activity is mandatory, and the call advises using an advisory or consultancy service to prepare it.
What happens if my application is incomplete?
Missing documents must be submitted within 5 working days of the Managing Authority’s request. Only complete applications are considered by the Project Selection Committee.
Is the €75,000 guaranteed if I qualify?
No. Proposals are scored and ranked; funding goes to the highest-scoring proposals up to the available allocation, and qualifying proposals that miss out sit on a reserve list.
Can I start the project before applying?
No. Activities physically completed or fully implemented before the application is submitted are ineligible, regardless of whether all payments have been made.
Other Open Fisheries Funds Worth Comparing
If Malta’s diversification window does not fit, several other live funds covered by Fisheries India may: Ireland’s small-scale coastal fishers scheme pays 80% up to €30,000 per vessel, closing 17 December 2026; Lombardy’s €350,000 FEAMPA fund for professional inland fishers runs to 21 December 2026; Quebec’s $50 million fisheries fund is open to the province’s sector; and Northern Ireland’s £3.05 million Marine Environment and Fisheries Fund requires all projects completed and claimed by 31 March 2027.
Fact-check note (verified 2 November 2026): every date, rate and figure in this post was checked against Malta’s official EMFAF call documents — the announcement of the call and the full application form/guidance for Call SO1.1/16/2025/EMFAF, published on fondi.eu — including the 50% aid intensity, the €75,000 cap, the €500,000 indicative allocation, the MFA/MFB licence requirement, the 60-day fishing-activity rule, the 5-year durability condition, and the 31 December 2026 noon cut-off. The images in this post are illustrations. Always confirm the latest position on fondi.eu before applying, as the Managing Authority may update the call or close it early.
Official links: Official call announcement (fondi.eu PDF) · Full application form and guidance notes (fondi.eu PDF) · EMFAF programme page, Malta (fondi.eu)