EU Council secure agreement on fish quotas for 2026

Fisheries ministers have reached a political agreement on fishing opportunities in the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and other waters for 2026 and for certain stocks for 2027 and 2028. The deal, reached following two days of negotiations, sets out fishing catch limits, known as ‘total allowable catches’ (TACs), and fishing effort limits for the most important commercial fish stocks. Fishing effort refers to the size and engine power of a vessel combined with the number of days spent fishing.

The compromise provides fishers with “certainty about their fishing opportunities for 2026,” said Denmark’s Fisheries Minister Jacob Jensen, for the EU presidency: “The compromise strikes a balance between the scientific advice and protecting vulnerable fish stocks, while also ensuring the best possible conditions for a sustainable fisheries sector in the future.”

The stocks covered by the two proposals are those the EU manages either on its own, jointly with neighbouring non-EU countries, or via agreements reached in regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs).

Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, fish stocks jointly managed by the EU and the UK are considered shared resources under international law. In line with the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the parties hold annual talks to agree on catch limits and other measures for shared stocks. These talks were successfully concluded, and the outcome of the EU-UK deal was approved prior to the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The political agreement integrates the outcome of the EU-UK deal into the main regulation for the Atlantic and North Sea.

Trilateral consultations on shared stocks between the EU, the UK and Norway were also successfully concluded ahead of the Council meeting. The catch limits and other measures agreed for those stocks also form part of the overall political agreement reached by the Council. For the Atlantic and the North Sea, the agreement covers 24 TACs managed autonomously by the EU.

Read more >>

Source: EUbusiness