The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee has adopted a report on simplifying data and statistical analysis of the bloc’s commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors, setting the stage for negotiations to begin between member states.
The European Commission first proposed a simplified framework for data collection in July 2025, replacing five regulations with a single regulation for E.U. catch data, landings, the fishing fleet, and aquaculture production. The current system results in inconsistencies, according to the Fisheries Committee, while the new rule would ensure reliability and make E.U. statistics comparable with international statistics.
In March, the Council of the European Union agreed to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on a framework later this year.
Now, the Fisheries Committee has approved a draft report on the regulation with 22 votes in favor, three against, and one abstention. Among the changes included is allowing Eurostat to transmit fisheries data to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), removing redundancies. Lawmakers also approved tasking Eurostat to collect data on all catches by E.U. vessels worldwide and the impact of those catches on sensitive species.
The text will need to be confirmed by the European Parliament during its May session to enable negotiations on the law by member states to begin.
