Romania is the first European Union country to have identified a way of providing compensation for carbon sequestration in aquaculture as an environmental service, a mechanism considered unique among EU member states, Valentin Toma, director general of the General Fisheries Directorate (DGP) - Managing Authority for the Programme for Fisheries and Aquaculture (AM POPAM), said.

'Romania has managed to identify a way of granting compensation for these environmental services related to carbon sequestration in aquaculture. How did we manage to quantify carbon sequestration? With the support of the Aquaculture Research and Development Institute in Galati. An entire team of researchers contributed to the preparation of a scientific study. Congratulations to them for still having such concerns and putting them into practice (...)! We, at the Managing Authority within the Ministry of Agriculture, then consulted with the European Commission, and the European Commission categorised it as unique among the member states,' Valentin Toma told AGERPRES.

Although the possibility of granting such compensation for environmental services is provided for under European regulations, Romania is, according to the assessment conveyed by the European Commission, the first member state to have developed this approach for the aquaculture sector.

'No member state has previously adopted the approach Romania has taken, and I am convinced that it will be taken up as an example of good practice. (...) The idea is that through our activity in aquaculture and, of course, the same applies to the other agricultural sectors, we can see that Romania sequesters carbon, not only emits carbon,' Toma added.

The call for projects under Action 2.1.4 'Environmental services' was launched on July 24 and will remain open until September 6, 2026, with a total allocated budget of 14.285 million euros. According to the MADR official, at least 300 aquaculture farms in Romania could be eligible for the scheme, and a similar number of funding applications is therefore expected.

'Under this measure, we are granting maximum compensation of 174.92 euros/ha/year for extensive aquaculture and 97.18 euros/ha/year for semi-intensive farms, meaning those that manage feeding. I expect at least 300 farms in Romania to be eligible, although for the time being I cannot base this on an actual analysis. I also expect a similar number of applications to be submitted,' Toma stressed.

If the number of applications exceeds the available budget, the Managing Authority for the Programme for Fisheries and Aquaculture intends to ensure that all eligible applicants can receive funding, but the amount of compensation would be reduced proportionally.

'What farmers need to understand is that once you are eligible, it means you receive money. In the aquaculture and fisheries programme, this is the first time such an approach has been taken. We have devised this mathematical algorithm so that no farmers are left out. In other words, some receive funding while others do not. There has never been such an approach under the programme dedicated to fisheries and aquaculture. So, if a very large number of funding applications are submitted, naturally, in order for all of them to be included and receive compensation, the amounts will be reduced proportionally. In other words, they will no longer receive 175 euros/ha/year, but less,' the Agriculture Ministry's director general explained.

The actual eligible area used to calculate the support represents 70% of the water surface area entered on the aquaculture licence for which compensation is requested. The support granted may not exceed 50,000 euros/year per applicant, while the maximum public support intensity is 100%.

To qualify for compensation, farms must be active and actually carry out aquaculture activities. Simply owning a water surface, without carrying out aquaculture activities, is not eligible for compensation. The main requirements include holding an aquaculture licence, an environmental permit and the annual environmental endorsement for the year for which compensation is requested. In addition, marketed production must be between 50 and 1,500 kilograms of fish per hectare per year, calculated in relation to the actual eligible area.

'We must be dealing with an active aquaculture farm. What does active mean? It means that the farm carries out aquaculture activities and produces fish for sale. To be eligible, one of the conditions is that the quantity of fish sold should be between 50 and 1,500 kilograms of fish per hectare per year. The farm must hold an aquaculture licence, and this is the first element that will be checked; it must have an environmental permit and an annual environmental endorsement. These are essential requirements that the farm in question must meet,' he also said.

The director general said the new scheme should not be viewed solely as compensation granted to aquaculture farmers, but also as an opportunity to access funding for future investments. Thus, the money received under 'Environmental services' can be used to provide co-financing for modernisation projects.

'The idea is that these compensations we are providing can be used by these farmers to secure co-financing for their next modernisation projects. In September, we will launch the aquaculture investment measure again, for the fourth time, and people can use this money to attract funding for modernisation and to increase their production,' Toma said.

He added that the previous call dedicated to investments in farms attracted only 10 projects.

There are currently more than 1,100 aquaculture licences in Romania, but for this measure the Managing Authority has identified and directly contacted approximately half of the farms considered potentially eligible for compensation, through targeted communications to the sector.

The Managing Authority for the Programme for Fisheries and Aquaculture is currently conducting an extensive campaign to promote the measure, including through a dedicated webpage, ampeste.ro, where farmers can find all the necessary information and documents and check their project's eligibility themselves. Valentin Toma said the same approach would be used for future funding measures under the fisheries and aquaculture programme.

DGP AM POPAM will also organise two promotional events for Action 2.1.4 'Environmental services', one on August 19 in Miroslava, Iasi County, and the second in Tulcea on August 21, 2026. A webinar will subsequently be organised for farmers who were unable to attend these events. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Nica; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)