Press release

EU’s key fish law needs enforcing, not dismantling – lawyers respond to new Commission report

30 April 2026

Lawyers have reacted to the Commission’s evaluation of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), published today, which confirms that the CFP “remains a very important and relevant tool to manage a common natural resource and related economic activities in a changing world.”

ClientEarth lawyer Bellinda Bartolucci said: “The Commission’s own evaluation confirms a simple truth: when the Common Fisheries Policy is properly applied, fish populations can recover and coastal communities benefit. Where the rules have been implemented, progress is visible. The real problem is not the law itself, but the persistent failure by Member States and the Commission to enforce it.”

The CFP is the EU’s main legal framework governing fishing activities in EU waters and by EU vessels globally. It is designed to balance environmental, social and economic objectives through tools such as science-based catch limits, fair quota allocation, capacity controls, and the landing obligation aimed at reducing wasteful discarding.

Although the CFP included a legal deadline to end overfishing by 2020, that deadline was missed and around 40% of assessed EU fish stocks are still not in good status or fished sustainably. But the evaluation underlines that where the CFP has been implemented seriously, results have followed. It also made crystal clear: “evidence points to shortcomings in control, enforcement and compliance over the past decade”.

Infringement procedures against Member States – the EU Commission’s legal tool to enforce EU laws – are at strikingly low levels with only one new infringement proceeding linked with maritime and fisheries laws since 2024.

Meanwhile, several Member States have called to open up the CFP, which could create years of uncertainty - endangering both marine ecosystems and small-scale fishers who depend on healthy seas.

Bartolucci added:

“Reopening the CFP would waste precious time, create legal uncertainty, and risk weakening one of Europe’s most important tools to protect fish populations and communities. The Commission’s findings should serve as a wake-up call: what the EU needs now is implementation, enforcement, and investment in sustainable fisheries - not further legislative chaos.”

 Lawyers call on the EU to:

-          Strengthen implementation and enforcement of existing CFP rules by Member States and the European Commission

-          Use the forthcoming Ocean Act to support delivery of CFP objectives

-          Ensure the next EU budget (MFF) supports a fair transition to low-impact, sustainable fisheries and thriving both marine ecosystems and coastal  communities

ENDS

Notes to editors:
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