Europêche Meeting with Costas Kadis

European Fishermen Demand Specific EU Fund for Fisheries from Commissioner Kadis

The sector, including Cepesca, rejects the proposed 67% budget cut in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

BRUSSELS — The European fisheries sector, represented by the organization Europêche (of which the Spanish organization Cepesca is a member), met last Friday with the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, to address critical challenges facing the industry.

Budget Cuts and the Specific Fund Request

The central focus of the meeting was funding. Fishermen expressed their deep disappointment over the European Commission's proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which envisions a 67% reduction in fisheries funds, limiting the allocation to just 2 billion euros for the 2028-2035 period.

Europêche, led by President Javier Garat, requested a strengthened, specific fund for fisheries. They argue that merging fisheries funding with broader funds would create "distortions and unfair competition." Garat called the Commission's current proposal "inconsistent with the EU’s stated priorities regarding competitiveness, resilience, and food security."

Fishing Opportunities and Key Regulations

Regarding fishing opportunities for 2026, the sector urged Commissioner Kadis to abandon zero-catch approaches and to consider socioeconomic impacts when setting quotas.

• Mediterranean: Fishermen requested more fishing days as compensation for the effort reduction of over 40% and asked for the Mediterranean red shrimp to be excluded from the quota system.

• Northeast Atlantic: The sector warned that proposals for zero TACs (Total Allowable Catches) for species like cod, haddock, and whiting would have "devastating" consequences, noting that the ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) advice is often overly cautious due to limited data.

Concerning negotiations with third countries, Europêche welcomed the 12-year extension of reciprocal access to fishing grounds with the United Kingdom (until 2038) but cautioned that the designation of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Scottish waters could render the agreement "dead letter," causing economic losses five times greater for European fleets than for UK vessels operating in the same areas.

Bureaucracy and Trade Agreements

The sector called for an urgent "omnibus" proposal to reduce bureaucracy and simplify fisheries rules, highlighting the slow pace of the Common Fisheries Policy review.

Finally, Europêche raised concerns about new free trade agreements with Indonesia and Thailand, which would allow tariff-free entry of tuna caught under lower production standards, leading to unfair competition. They also decried the imbalance in the EU-US agreement, where the EU faces a 15% tariff on its seafood exports while thousands of tonnes of US seafood enter the European market tariff-free. The sector urged the EU to seek tariff exemptions in future negotiations.

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