Environmental organisations urge the Commission to oppose rollover of Mediterranean fishing limits for 2026 

Environmental organisations ClientEarth, MedReact, and Oceana are urging the Commission to legally oppose the Council Regulation published today - which rolls over last year’s fishing limits in the Western Mediterranean for 2026.  

The Regulation is based on the political compromise reached by fisheries ministers last December and significantly deviates from the European Commission’s proposal, which was grounded in scientific advice and designed to keep fish stock recovery on track under the multiannual plan for demersal stocks in the Western Mediterranean Sea. And the Commission has already publicly opposed this agreement, on the basis that the setting of fishing effort is not in line with this multiannual plan. 

According to the organisations, at a moment when fish stock recovery in the Mediterranean is still precarious, formalising continued overfishing undermines the trajectory to rebuild fish populations, and weakens confidence in EU fisheries governance.  

The Mediterranean remains one of Europe’s most overexploited and ecologically fragile seas – with 52% of assessed stocks overfished. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires EU countries to maintain fish stocks above sustainable levels, and apply precaution where science is uncertain. These are binding legal obligations under EU law, designed to ensure the presence of fish stocks in the sea as the fundamental precondition for any fisheries activity. They are not optional policy choices, and are particularly relevant given that the 2025 deadline to end overfishing in Mediterranean waters has already been missed. 

In light of the regulation’s publication, the organisations stress that the Commission’s response will be decisive in determining whether EU fisheries law is upheld in practice.  

Nils Courcy, senior lawyer at ClientEarth, said: 

“This decision sends the wrong signal at a critical moment. By rolling over fishing limits that disregard scientific advice and the Commission’s own proposal, the Council risks breaching the legally binding requirements provided in the Common Fisheries Policy. As Guardian of the Treaties, the Commission has a clear responsibility to intervene and ensure EU fisheries management remains compliant with EU law and the objective of fish populations recovery in the Mediterranean.”  

Javier López, campaign director for sustainable fisheries at Oceana in Europe added:  

 “The law and the science point in the same direction: fishing mortality must be significantly reduced to meet the objectives and deadlines set the multiannual plan. Rolling over the fishing days and most technical measures undermines the credibility of the plan and raises serious concerns about whether the Council’s decision can deliver the required results. The Commission must now examine the agreement closely and take action to ensure that these obligations translate into real progress on the water.” 

Environmental organisations therefore urge the European Commission, as Guardian of the EU Treaties, to formally oppose this regulation.