Aragón announces 992,812 euros in EMFAF grants to transform fishery products

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of the Government of Aragon has announced the 2027 grants for investments in the processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products, co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and by the Autonomous Community. The call is published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 220, dated November 13, 2026, by means of Order AGA/1652/2026, dated October 26, with a maximum allocation of 992,812.22 euros and an application period of fifteen business days.

The legal framework is Regulation (EU) 2021/1139, of July 7, 2021, whose Article 3 includes among the fund’s priorities the promotion of the processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products to contribute to the food security of the Union. The regulatory bases are Order AGA/1394/2024, of November 12, and the call complies with the EMFAF Operational Program for Spain 2021-2027, approved by Commission Decision C (2022) 8732 final, of November 29, 2022. The aid is listed in section 5.5.3 of the Strategic Grant Plan 2023-2027 and is managed by the Directorate General for Innovation and Food Promotion. The order bears the signature of the counselor Aránzazu Simón Pérez.

Who can apply and what is financed

Beneficiaries may be natural or legal persons who are ultimately responsible for investments in companies within the fisheries sector or operators that market or process fishery and aquaculture products, provided that the investment is carried out in Aragonese territory and economic viability and compliance with environmental, hygiene, and public health regulations are demonstrated. Companies must be micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises according to recommendation 2003/361/EC, and those with tax or Social Security debts, final sanctions, or serious infringements of the common fisheries policy are excluded.

Investments that meet the following criteria will be eligible for subsidies:

• Promote the quality and added value of products.
• Increase energy efficiency or reduce environmental impact.
• Improve safety, hygiene, health, and working conditions.
• Favor the circular economy and the utilization of by-products and discards.
• Drive the processing of organic aquaculture products and their certification.
• Generate new products, processes, or management systems, including pilot projects.

Civil works, first-use machinery and installations, computer programs, internal transport elements, and laboratory equipment are permitted, with general costs limited to 8% and a minimum of 2,000 euros per supplier. At least three offers from independent suppliers are required.

Amounts, co-financing, and limits

The total allocation is 992,812.22 euros, divided into two items of the 2027 budget: 694,968.55 euros charged to 14070 G/7121/770231/15101 and 297,843.67 euros to 14070 G/7121/770231/91001, within the PEP 2025/000076. The grant will not exceed 50% of the eligible expenses and is co-financed 70% with EMFAF resources and 30% with Aragon’s own funds.

The operational limits are as follows:

• Maximum amount per project: 700,000 euros.
• Minimum admitted investment: 100,000 euros.
• Minimum cutoff score: 20 points.
• Advances: up to 50% of the granted subsidy.

The regulation specifies that these grants are not considered State aid and may be extended without a new call if there is a prior declaration of credit availability.

Deadlines and electronic processing

Applications shall be submitted under an ordinary competitive bidding process and solely by electronic means, using a certificate or permanent key, through the electronic office of the Government of Aragon with procedure code 11837. The deadline is fifteen business days from the day following the publication of the call in the Official Gazette of Aragon, and the summary, with BDNS identification 939012, is published in section V of the same issue.

The execution of investments must begin after the submission of the application and will end on September 15, 2027, a deadline that coincides with the closing of the justification period, open from January 1 to September 15, 2027. The resolution is the responsibility of the General Directorate of Innovation and Food Promotion within a maximum period of three months, and the subsidized assets must remain dedicated to the activity for at least five years.

The call activates a line of nearly one million euros in a single fiscal year, 2027, in which the bulk of the credit is already committed to the processing industry. For fishing and canning SMEs based in Aragon, the calendar is the decisive factor: a margin of fifteen business days and an execution that expires in September leave little room to reformulate projects that are not already technically mature.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, no. 220, November 13, 2026, section III (Other Provisions and Agreements) (official reference: BOA20261113015).