The European Commission has presented its Vision for fisheries and aquaculture towards 2040, setting the direction for the next 15 years across the whole value chain. The sector employs more than 200,000 people in the EU, nearly 124,500 in fisheries and almost 76,000 in aquaculture, with many more in processing, wholesale, distribution and retail. The stated aim is to strengthen the sector’s environmental and economic viability, safeguard the livelihoods of the communities that depend on it, and give businesses predictability to invest while protecting aquatic resources.
The document concedes a policy failure: the landing obligation, which requires fishers to bring all caught regulated species back to port, has not delivered the expected results in monitoring unwanted catches as applied in practice. The Commission said competitive, resilient fisheries depend on healthy aquatic ecosystems, and that it will consider technological innovation and fully documented fisheries, informed by an implementation dialogue with stakeholders later this year, to design more practical measures against unwanted catches.
On energy, the main goal until 2030 is efficiency, new technology and skills, and available clean fuels; from 2030, the effort shifts to scaling low and zero emission technologies, backed by financing, infrastructure and fleet modernisation. The Commission will update its 2014 guidelines on balancing fishing capacity against fishing opportunities, and for aquaculture it will prepare a legislative instrument toward a more coherent regulatory framework. It will promote digital traceability for all products across the supply chain by 2029, and proposes a minimum reserved allocation of 2 billion euros for core Common Fisheries Policy functions in the 2028 to 2034 long term budget, alongside support from the European Competitiveness Fund and measures to mobilise private investment. A Blue Generational Renewal Strategy to attract younger entrants is promised for next year. Externally, the Vision steps up the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and plans a new generation of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto called the sector vital to the prosperity and identity of coastal communities, and Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis said a fair income for fishers and producers and a healthy marine environment depend on each other.