Today the European Parliament’s plenary vote has adopted a resolution concerning the European Commission’s evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the next steps. The resolution contains amendments that could open the door to a potential reform of the CFP, including safeguards designed to prevent overcapacity. Seas At Risk warns that weakening these safeguards will not lead to overfishing, while the reopening of the CFP will also open a Pandora’s box of regulatory uncertainty and environmental, socio-economic risks.
Bruno Nicoastrate, Senior Fisheries Policy Officer at Seas At Risk said:
“It is good that the European Parliament is calling for solutions to the very real challenges facing fishers. But it is deeply disappointing that it fails to address the elephant in the room: the overwhelming reason the CFP is failing is that Member States are not implementing and enforcing it properly.
It is equally concerning to see Parliament repeating the fishing industry’s false claim that decarbonisation requires an increase in legally defined fleet capacity. A recent analysis, based on concrete figures from across the EU fleet, shows that fishing vessels can decarbonise within existing capacity limits. There is simply no need to weaken the CFP’s safeguards against overcapacity.
Fishers and healthy oceans go hand in hand. Parliament had an opportunity to defend both by pushing for ambitious implementation and solutions that make fishing fairer, more resilient and environmentally sustainable. Instead, too many MEPs have fallen for the EuroTrump playbook: blame environmental rules, attack safeguards and pretend that protecting the ocean comes at the expense of fishers. Europe’s fishers and seas deserve better than this false choice.”
Posted on: 17 September 2026
