European Member States have begun posting lists of the beneficiaries of certain EU fisheries subsidies.

Under recently introduced regulations, Member States are required to make public the names of beneficiaries of the EU Fisheries Fund (EFF). The EFF is the most significant source of EU aid to fishermen, and is scheduled to provide € 3.8 billion between 2007 and 2013.

Member States are also required to reveal on their websites the amount of public funding allocated to fishing operations under the EFF.

The European Commission and Member States have been under pressure for some time to be more transparent about how fisheries subsidies are distributed.

"The lists of beneficiaries posted by EU Member States are a welcome first step, but there is still a long way to go,” said Markus Knigge, Research Director for the Pew Environment Group's European Marine Programme “So far, only some Member States have disclosed the beneficiaries. Moreover, some authorities published the information in PDF format which makes it very difficult to analyze the data. Also, the lists only include the beneficiaries of the European Fisheries Fund, and not of Fisheries Partnership Agreements or the aid provided by Member States themselves."

A website run by the European Commission links to the lists, which are housed on individual website operated by each Member State: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/structural_measures/transparency_en.htm