European fishing industry representative body Europêche has welcomed the commitment shown by new EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis to delivering a resilient, competitive and sustainable fisheries sector.
Europêche held its first meeting with Commissioner Kadis on 29 January 2025 to address the future of the EU fisheries sector under the legislative term 2024-2029. It said the dialogue focused on securing workable and balanced EU policies that support the sector, ensure access to traditional fishing grounds, strengthen EU seafood sovereignty, and promote fair market competition – all while fostering socio-economic growth for coastal communities.
At the meeting, the association emphasised the urgency of immediate action to reverse the declining fleet size and job losses – caused by imbalanced EU policies, costs pressures, increasing area closures, access restrictions and maritime spatial squeeze. It called for fairer competition in the marketplace by aligning sustainability standards for imported seafood with those required of EU fishers, ensuring a level playing field.
Europêche President Javier Garat said the body was very pleased with the Commission’s active engagement, and declared that Commissioner Kadis showed a strong commitment to maintaining an open dialogue and developing practical policies and regulations for the sector.
“This is just the first of many meetings needed to tackle the significant challenges facing our industry. Our discussion with Commissioner Kadis represents an important step towards shaping a competitive and sustainable future for the EU fisheries sector. We look forward to a shift in policy direction and the CFP evaluation presents a crucial window of opportunity. Europêche remains fully committed to working closely with the Commissioner and his team,” Garat said.
Noting that while the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has driven “significant environmental progress”, Europêche underscored the need for a more balanced approach that equally prioritises environmental, socio-economic and food security goals. The association proposed revising unworkable policies, such as the landing obligation and upgrade policies to address challenges like climate change, Brexit and the energy transition.
It strongly advocates for reducing the administrative burden and simplifying the thousands of rules fishers have to comply with on a daily basis.
Europêche also highlighted the need for a science-driven approach to marine protection and maritime spatial planning, emphasising the importance of respecting traditional fishing grounds.
With increasing spatial constraints from marine protected areas and offshore renewable energy developments, Europêche urged the Commission to secure access to squeezing fishing grounds.
Additionally, Europêche advocated for greater flexibility in multiannual management plans, with a particular focus on the Baltic and the Mediterranean. In this regard, it requested an urgent revision of the Western Mediterranean Regulation in line with the demands of Spain, France and Italy and the majority of political groups in the European Parliament. It also called for a revision of policies that have unfairly led to the closure of traditional fishing grounds to bottom fishing gears.
Similarly, Europêche urged the implementation of fisheries control rules within a workable timeline, respecting the principles established in the main regulation and developed in close consultation with the sector.
The association also reaffirmed its commitment to achieving full decarbonisation of the sector but stressed the need for adequate EU funding, fleet modernisation and innovation. It called for more sectoral support for the next funding programme and the implementation of an EU fleet renewal plan to support the transition to zero-emission fisheries.
At the same time, Europêche expressed concerns over the EU’s growing dependence on seafood imports, which account for over 70% of the bloc’s consumption. It urged the EU to implement mirror clauses for imported seafood, requiring adherence to the same sustainability standards as EU products. This would promote fair competition and support domestic fishers, it said.
Furthermore, with critical post-Brexit negotiations on the horizon, Europêche called for clear political directives and early agreements to ensure stability and legal certainty for the sector.
According to Europêche, achieving a fisheries agreement before the end of 2025 is essential to maintain resource management and safeguard EU interests in shared waters. It also stressed the need to link market access to fisheries access and compliance, advocating to take tariff and trade measures to counter unsustainable practices by neighbouring countries like Norway.
Regarding the Oceans Pact, Europêche urged for fisheries to be kept at the core of the EU’s vision for the oceans. It underscored the sector’s vital contributions to EU food sovereignty, healthy diets, coastal community livelihoods and marine ecosystem stewardship.
