The European Commission (EC) has launched a public consultation on whether the E.U. should add sustainability requirements to its autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) on certain fishery products entering the bloc from outside countries.
The E.U. applies ATQs to a range of different products and unanimously adopted regulations in 2023 that applied to key seafood species like cod, Alaska pollock, shrimp, and cephalopods. ATQs entail the complete suspension or reduction of a duty attached to a certain volume of seafood products entering the E.U. from outside of the country, with specific volumes and duties attached to individual products.
The EC said it is considering how to make ATQs more sustainable and is working to evaluate how the program’s regime works to those ends.
The EC said it wants stakeholder input on the proposal from a range of viewpoints, including those involved in either the conservation of marine resources, such as NGOs and authorities; groups with an economic stake, like the fish-producing sector, fish-processing sector, trade unions, E.U. advisory councils, and customs authorities; academia, including researchers specializing in environmental, economic, and social issues; and consumer organizations.
Currently, tariff-free access for products entering the E.U. is first-come, first-served so long as those products qualify with the program’s volume restrictions.
“This raises questions related to the possible impacts on the conservation and management of concerned fish stocks from non-E.U. fisheries, social and trade matters, as well as the competitiveness of the E.U. fishing sector,” the commission wrote.
The EC added it is considering whether it can adjust the ATQ regime so that sustainability requirements are tied to removing tariff barriers.
European fisheries trade body Europêche said that the new proposal presents an opportunity for the E.U. to align the program with the bloc’s environmental, social, and food sovereignty objectives and create a more level playing field between imported seafood products and products produced in Europe. Currently, the E.U. imports 900,000 metric tons (MT) of seafood duty-free, without applying environmental or labor standards that European fleets are required to meet to conduct business.
“The E.U. cannot preach sustainability at home while turning a blind eye to imported products that do not meet the same standards – especially when those products benefit from tariff exemptions,” Europêche Managing Director Daniel Voces said in a press release. “It’s time to close this loophole and make sustainability a prerequisite for tariff advantages.”
Voces said as global tariff tensions rise, the E.U. should use its trade tools strategically to strengthen its geopolitical positioning, rather than giving carte blanche to imports.
Europêche suggested the EC should have five priorities for its ATQ system: mandatory sustainability criteria; exclusion of countries linked to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and serious labor violations; support for E.U. producers; reciprocity and fairness with market access given to countries that also give access to E.U. fleets, “especially in cases involving countries like Norway;” and alignment with broader E.U. policies.
"ATQs should strengthen, not erode, Europe’s strategic autonomy in fisheries,” Europêche President Javier Garat said. “The Commission now has a real chance – and responsibility – to create a regime that promotes sustainable fisheries, fair trade and long-term food sovereignty.”
