Europêche, the European fishing employers' association, has requested this Thursday from the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, that the European Commission incorporate a specific review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in its Work Program for 2027.
As noted by the organization led by the Secretary General of Cepesca, Javier Garat, this request was made in a meeting in Brussels, where the employers' association expressed its "disappointment" with the Vision for Fishing 2040.
The sector has valued Kadis's willingness to cooperate with the industry on concrete measures for 2027 and 2028, although it has emphasized that such actions cannot replace a reform of a regulatory framework that, in its opinion, has been pending for years.
Europêche has also requested that the EU-Mauritania Protocol, which expires on November 14, be extended for at least half a year, given that the fleet lacks alternative fishing grounds. In addition, it aims to review the financing rules to compensate shipowners in case the Protocol is not renewed.
Regarding the western Mediterranean, the employers' association has demanded an urgent review of the multiannual plan, in line with the recommendations of the European Parliament, and that the Council's decisions in December on fishing possibilities take into account the resolution of the Eurochamber, ensuring sufficient working days.
The organization has also warned that the Atlantic purse seine fleet of the European Union has decreased by 62%, from 21 vessels in 2016 to only eight in 2025, and has requested the lifting of the moratorium on fish aggregation devices (FADs).
Likewise, it has urged the EU to defend its quotas in negotiations with coastal States, that the scientific advice of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) be respected in the Baltic, and that obstacles preventing progress in the energy transition of the fleet be removed.
With a view to the upcoming meetings of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Europêche has proposed the establishment of a total allowable catch (TAC) for the albacore, an increase in the TAC for the bigeye, maintaining stability for North Atlantic white tuna, and a "viable approach" for the retention of the shortfin mako.