About: common fisheries policy

Overfishing lurks in flagship EU subsidy scheme

A meeting of EU agriculture ministers today (18 June) will be entirely dedicated to fisheries. Ministers are expected to reach a tentative deal on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) post-2020, the main EU fund that supports fishing communities.

Next EU Parliament fisheries committee will start over from scratch

Only 10 of the 27 outgoing members of the Fisheries Committee (PECH) in the European Parliament were reconfirmed after the EU elections, 4 of them also having their seat time-chartered as brexiteer MEPs.

EU bets on digitalisation to fight illegal fishing

The European Commission launched a new IT tool on Tuesday (8 May) to track illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) from third countries, with a view to set up an entirely digitalised documentation of catches.

EU prepares compensation for fishermen hit by no deal Brexit

EU fishermen will be eligible for compensation if the UK blocks access to its fishing waters in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit, the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday (23 January).

Catch 22: Why too many EU vessels still chase too few fish

The reformed Common Fisheries Policy contain the tools to deliver profitable fisheries, thriving fish stocks and lively coastal communities. To combat over-fishing, the EU and member states must act now, demands Jan Isakson.

Fishing nations fail in bid to cut quotas for depleted bigeye tuna

Dozens of nations on Monday failed to agree on measures to preserve one of the planet's most valuable fish: the bigeye tuna, backbone of a billion-dollar business that is severely overfished.

EU farm ministers raise Baltic fish quotas, angering environmentalists

European Union ministers agreed on Monday (15 October) to sharply boost catch quotas for western Baltic cod as part of new fishing regulations for next year that angered environmentalists.

When will Denmark stop overfishing and start enforcing the rules?

Denmark has become the worst perpetrator of Baltic overfishing over the last years, putting in serious danger entire species, such as the Baltic’s iconic cod, warns Rebecca Hubbard.

Has the world reached ‘peak fish’?, fish experts ask

This week’s meetings of the European Parliament’s committee on fisheries (11-12 July) saw fish experts tackling the growing issues of overfishing, small-scale fisheries and fish dependence.

The EU must take the lead on international fisheries governance

As the largest seafood market in the world, importing more than 60% of its seafood from other countries, the EU has a responsibility to tackle illegal fishing, writes Dr Samantha Burgess.

UK vows to play hard-ball with EU over fishing waters

The UK outlined plans to overhaul its fishing policy on Wednesday, insisting that it would decide unilaterally how much access to give to EU boats after it leaves the bloc next March.

Time to take fish welfare more seriously

Fish are often seen to be at the bottom of the pile when it comes to how we view animals. The general assumption is that fish are not furry and pettable, and therefore, they fall outside citizens’ scope of moral concern, write Reineke Hameleers and Philip Lymbery.

EU opportunity to make fish discarding history

On World Ocean Day (8 June), it is important to bring back to the forefront the debate of overfishing which is undermining the health of our oceans. Five years after the reform on the EU Common Fisheries Policy nothing much has changed, and discarding at sea is still common practice, writes Rebecca Hubbard.

Ireland emerges as big winner of fisheries Council

Fisheries ministers pulled an all-nighter to reach an agreement on fishing limits for 2018, giving Ireland more a €20m windfall. The Council says progress has been made to achieve sustainable management of fish stocks but NGOs say the new limits are above scientific advice. And the industry was caught gate-crashing, again.

Council and Parliament agree on ‘flexible’ fishing limits for North Sea

EU member states and Norway reached a preliminary agreement with the European Parliament late on Thursday night (7 December) on fishing limits in the North Sea ahead of next week's Fisheries Council.

Mystery of the eel: Europe’s own ivory trade

The European Commission has proposed a ban on eel fishing in the Atlantic, in an attempt to recover the dwindling stock of the European eel, a critically endangered species that is traded illegally by an industry that is worth millions of euros.

Commission puts EU fishermen in catch-22 situation

The European Commission has proposed new fishing quotas for 2018 but new rules create a paradox whereby fishermen won't actually be able to cast off and go out to sea.

Denmark warns of ‘severe’ Brexit impact on fishermen

Denmark's fishing fleet will suffer “severe” economic consequences unless business-as-usual continues after the UK leaves the EU, the Danish government said in a recently published in-depth impact assessment of Brexit on its fishing industry.

Britain moves to ‘take back control’ over fishing in its waters

Britain will withdraw from an agreement that allows some other European countries to fish between six and 12 miles from its coast in a move to "take back control" of fishing policy, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said on Sunday (2 July).

Vella: ‘By 2020, Mediterranean fish stocks should be subject to data collection’

The collection of accurate fish stock data in Mediterranean waters is a necessity for small-scale fishermen’s long-term survival, Karmenu Vella told EURACTIV.com in an interview. 

Shetland Islands toy with idea of post-Brexit independence

Of all the consequences of the Brexit vote, the fate of the Shetland Islands in the North Atlantic and their oil fields and fisheries may not top the list for negotiators in Westminster and Brussels. But it soon might.

EU auditors slam Commission’s food waste policies

In a report published today (17 January), the EU Court of Auditors heavily criticised the European Commission for its failure to contribute to a resource-efficient food supply chain by effectively tackling food waste.

Iceland tempted once more by EU membership bait

Iceland could hold a referendum on joining the EU if new negotiations on forming a coalition government are successful, the head of one of the three parties involved in the political talks said today (2 January).

EU court casts doubt on Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara

Two deals between Morocco and the European Union do not apply to Western Sahara, the EU's top court said during a raft of rulings made yesterday (21 December), in a decision that a group seeking the disputed territory's independence said was a victory for its cause.