The Thai Tuna Industry Association (TTIA) is calling on officials from Thailand and the E.U. to accelerate talks and secure a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two sides.
The industry association said the new trade agreement would help reinforce sustainable seafood supply chains, protect jobs in both the E.U. and Thailand, and accelerate the modernization of the Thai tuna industry’s fishing fleet. TTIA said the vast majority of the tuna sector already operates under E.U. standards – from processing to traceability and transparency.
“The E.U.-Thailand FTA is more than a trade agreement,” TTIA President Chanintr Chalisarapong said. “It aligns open markets with high standards on sustainability, traceability, and labor, creating shared value for workers, producers, and consumers.”
TTIA said a free trade agreement would result in even more investment in digital traceability and sustainability initiatives so that Thailand can continue to meet the E.U.’s standards.
“This agreement proves that trade liberalization and high standards can reinforce each other,” Chalisarapong said. “It will make seafood supply chains more resilient, sustainable, and fair – benefiting both economies.”
TTIA put together a whitepaper on the potential free trade agreement, pointing out that the E.U. already has similar arrangements with major tuna suppliers like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Ecuador, and China.
“Extending this approach to Thailand would reinforce the E.U.’s reputation as a consistent and fair trading partner – one that applies the same standards and opportunities to all compliant suppliers,” TTIA’s whitepaper said. “Reciprocity builds credibility and predictability in the E.U.’s external trade policy. Liberalization of tuna products in the E.U.-Thailand FTA would ensure equal treatment, foster fair competition, and create opportunities for both sides.”
The calls from Thailand’s industry come as Europe’s fishing industry has consistently pushed to exclude tuna from any free trade agreements. Europêche has repeatedly urged the E.U. throughout 2025 that it would incur severe risks if Thailand’s tuna is included in the FTA.
Europêche Tuna Group Director Anne-France Mattlet told SeafoodSource in September that Thailand’s status as one of the top producers of canned and preserved tuna, and the increased competition from the country would threaten the economic viability of Europe’s fishing fleets. Mattlet also said Europe’s fleet operates under some of the strictest environmental, social, and labor rules in the world, while Thailand has been criticized for its failure to implement key labor standards.
Thailand was also recently subject to a yellow card from the E.U., which was issued in April 2015 for its lack of action in tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. That yellow card was lifted in 2019 after the country enacted several laws to curb IUU, but Thailand’s Parliament recently approved sweeping amendments that groups like the Environmental Justice Foundation said could roll back those reforms.
TTIA said that Thailand’s tuna industry is already complying with the E.U.’s regulations, and much of the tuna that it processes originates from fleets that are already a part of free trade agreements with the E.U.
“Thai tuna products meet all E.U. food safety, quality, and traceability requirements. Only establishments authorized by the European Commission can export to the E.U., and every consignment is subject to strict official controls,” TTIA’s whitepaper said. “The TTIA urges policymakers to seize this opportunity to deliver an agreement reflecting the shared interests of Thailand and Europe. The E.U.-Thailand FTA is not about one side gaining at the other’s expense. It is about shared prosperity through sustainable trade, where open markets and high standards go hand in hand.”
