The European Commission recently unveiled Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture, a 15-year strategy aiming to address rampant issues across E.U. seafood production and enhance competitiveness over the period.
The document covered several problems plaguing the bloc’s seafood producers, including the E.U.’s Landing Obligation, the modernization of its fishing fleet, and complex licensing procedures for aquaculture firms.
Clarifying the latter issue, a commission spokesperson told SeafoodSource that the E.U. plans to pursue a more coherent regulatory framework for E.U. aquaculture, targeting complex licensing procedures and difficulties accessing suitable space and water that have constrained sustainable sector growth.
“The aim would be to simplify the licensing and access to space and water for aquaculture and to bring greater coherence in the requirements to develop aquaculture activities across the E.U.,” the spokesperson said, adding that this would need to be balanced with protecting the ecosystems and biodiversity on which the sector depends.
The spokesperson added that preparations for a proposed legislative instrument for the bloc’s aquaculture sector would involve public consultation and an impact assessment.
“The commission would work with member states and stakeholders to ensure the measures delivered practical improvements,” the spokesperson said.
A timetable for the proposal’s preparation or implementation was not provided.
“The commission expects that bringing more certainty on the conditions for developing aquaculture across the E.U. will encourage public authorities, investors, and entrepreneurs to contribute to the growth of this strategic sector, which plays an important role in the E.U.’s food security by providing a sustainable, high-quality, and locally produced supply of seafood,” the spokesperson said.
Across the broader Vision 2040 strategy, financing remains a key issue to ensuring its effectiveness, with the commission pointing to a proposed minimum allocation of EUR 2 billion (USD 2.2 billion) under the E.U.’s 2028-2034 long-term budget to carry out the core functions of Europe’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
The spokesperson clarified that the proposed amount would be reserved for member states to implement core CFP priorities, including support for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, marine conservation and restoration, and the E.U.’s Common Market Organization, stressing that it is not a dedicated EUR 2 billion investment fund exclusively for commercial seafood businesses.
Member states could allocate additional funding from the EUR 453 billion (USD 507.3 billion) available under their own national plans, though this funding would not be ringfenced and would be distributed according to national priorities and needs, the spokesperson said.
The proposed European Competitiveness Fund could also provide future financial support for the sector.
Potential investment could cover vessel modernization, innovation, diversification, and decarbonization efforts; however, the commission stressed that precise arrangements would depend on ongoing negotiations between the European Parliament and Council.
Though Vision 2040 envisions member states using funding to implement the CFP as it currently stands, fishing groups across the bloc continue to call for an overhaul of the CFP as a whole.
Commercial fishing industry representative group Europêche recently met with E.U. Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis to urge a targeted revision of the CFP, emphasizing that the E.U. must pass legislative reforms if it hopes to carry out the goals outlined in Vision 2040.
“It remains unclear how challenges such as the Landing Obligation can be addressed within the constraints of the current CFP. The sector needs clarity on what the commission intends to deliver before being asked to take part in further consultations,” Europêche said in a release.
The meeting with Kadis builds on similar calls the industry has made in the lead-up to Vision 2040’s release, including Europêche President Javier Garat stating that a vision without CFP revision “is a dead letter and, without concrete measures, an empty gesture.”
“No fisher is proud of the current CFP,” he said. “Failure to act will only deepen social tensions, even more when a change of course was promised by the new commission. For too long, food producers have felt ignored and abandoned. Unless the commission changes course, their frustration will deepen and fuel anti-E.U. movements.”
On the other hand, environmental organizations and small-scale fishing representatives have urged the opposite from E.U. officials, calling for the bloc to not reopen the CFP but, rather, focus on effective implementation instead – a strategy with which Vision 2040 seems to align.
“Europe already holds many of the tools needed to deliver [Vision 2040], from the CFP to a strengthened fisheries control system. These are building blocks. What is needed now is the will to close implementation gaps,” Environmental Justice Foundation CEO Steve Trent said.
As actions under Vision 2040 are carried out, the European Commission has outlined several potential dimensions for assessing progress over its timespan, including access to finance and private investment, energy efficiency and decarbonization, business competitiveness and resilience, environmental sustainability, and social outcomes such as skills, working conditions, and generational renewal.
These are not formally adopted indicators or numerical targets; instead, the commission’s spokesperson said progress could also be assessed through implementation of the strategy’s action points across three pillars: supply, demand, and enabling conditions.
