Background

Fishing in areas beyond national jurisdiction is subject to cooperation among the countries that have fishing interests in those areas, within the framework of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs). The GFCM is such an organisation and adopts measures for the conservation and management of marine species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Each year, the GFCM adopts decisions ('recommendations') that become binding on its members. As a GFCM member, the EU is bound by the measures adopted by the organisation and must incorporate them into EU law.

European Commission proposal

The Commission proposal, submitted on 30 April 2024, seeks to incorporate into EU law GFCM conservation and management measures adopted in 2021 and 2022. To this end, the proposal would amend Regulation 2023/2124 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM Agreement area. The proposed conservation and control measures seek to ensure both the sustainable exploitation of marine species and the reduction of the impact of fishing activities on vulnerable marine ecosystems and non-target species.

The proposal envisages conservation measures for certain marine species, such as eel, shrimp, hake, anchovy and sardine, sprat, blackspot seabream, common dolphinfish, turbot and piked dogfish, as well as red coral. To mitigate the impact of fishing activities, the proposal envisages protection measures, including for elasmobranch species, seabirds, sea turtles and cetaceans. It also includes further measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

European Parliament position

On 29 April 2026, the European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement following interinstitutional negotiations. The agreement was endorsed by Parliament's Committee on Fisheries (PECH) on 3 June 2026 and is due to be put to the vote during the September 2026 plenary session.

The agreed text sets a general requirement for the timely and strict transposition of the measures adopted at GFCM level, without going beyond them, to ensure a level playing field and legal clarity. It also contains more comprehensive protection measures, including for red coral and common dolphinfish, and incorporates GFCM measures adopted in 2023.

First-reading report: 2024/0098(COD); Committee responsible: PECH; Rapporteur: Željana Zovko (EPP, Croatia).