EU must match global fisheries ambition with delivery at home, international experts warn
Press Release Date: July 2, 2026
Location: Brussels
Contact:
Vicky Baniokou | email: vbaniokou@oceana.org | tel.: +34 636065977
New Oceana study finds broad international support for core principles of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), while underlining that outcomes depend on implementation, monitoring, and enforcement.
Brussels – A new Oceana study bringing together perspectives from academics, policymakers, practitioners and fisheries consultants finds that many of the fisheries management challenges facing the European Union, such as tackling overfishing and wasteful discarding of fish at sea, are shared across the globe. Experts from North and South America, Northern Europe, Oceania and West Africa pointed to a common lesson: achieving sustainable fisheries depends not only on having the right policies in place, but on implementing and enforcing them effectively.
“These international perspectives show that many of the fisheries challenges the EU is debating are shared far beyond Europe,” said Vera Coelho, Oceana’s Executive Director and Vice President in Europe . “They also underline a simple point: the EU’s credibility as a global fisheries actor is strongest when the standards it promotes abroad are consistently applied at home.”
The report highlights broad support for several objectives enshrined in the CFP, including efforts to end overfishing, improve catch monitoring, reduce discards and address fleet overcapacity. Key findings from the study include:
- Global influence hinges on domestic delivery: Experts stressed that the EU’s credibility and influence are reinforced when the standards it promotes internationally are consistently implemented and enforced within EU fisheries.
- Shared challenges across regions: Respondents pointed to common obstacles to sustainable fisheries management, including implementation gaps, monitoring weaknesses, enforcement challenges, and insufficient political commitment.
- Full catch accountability remains essential: Experts highlighted the importance of reliable catch reporting, effective monitoring systems and measures to reduce unwanted catches as essential foundations for successful fisheries management.
- Fleet capacity limits and economic incentives matter: Respondents broadly agreed that capacity controls remain necessary to keep fisheries within sustainable levels, while also identifying economic incentives as relevant tools to support lower-impact fishing when they are transparent, well designed, and socially fair.
The findings come at a pivotal moment for EU fisheries policy. Earlier this year, the European Commission’s evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) concluded that the policy remains fit for purpose, while many of the remaining shortcomings stem from weaknesses in implementation and enforcement rather than from the framework itself.
For Oceana, the study reinforces a clear priority for the next phase of the CFP: focus on delivering the objectives already set out in the Regulation. This includes rebuilding fish stocks, addressing overcapacity and discards, and ensuring that fisheries management supports both healthy marine ecosystems and resilient coastal communities.
“As discussions on the future of EU fisheries policy continue, Oceana’s study points to a clear conclusion: the tools needed to address fisheries challenges already exist. The priority now is to fully deliver the CFP’s existing objectives in practice,” added Coelho.
Notes to editors
The study, International Perspectives on the EU Common Fisheries Policy: Why Strong EU Rules Matter, is based on a qualitative survey and interviews conducted by Oceana in April and May 2026 with 13 expert contributors from outside the EU, working across North and South America, Northern Europe, Oceania and West Africa.
Learn more: ”International perspectives on the EU Common Fisheries Policy: why strong EU rules matter”
