Hold the line on the
Common Fisheries Policy

As the European Commission evaluates the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), environmental NGOs across Europe and beyond urge EU and national policymakers to help build a sustainable and resilient fishing sector by upholding regulatory stability and prioritising the effective implementation of existing fisheries law.

Background

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the EU’s legal framework for managing fisheries. It defines:


  • Where it applies: in EU waters and to EU fishing vessels operating worldwide.
  • How it works: by setting rules for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of commercially exploited fish stocks, based on the best available scientific advice.
  • Who can fish and how: establishes rules for managing fishing opportunities, fleet capacity, reporting, and monitoring. 
  • Protects: establishes rules aimed at reducing the impact of fishing activities on marine ecosystems. and works alongside other EU fisheries legislation, including the Fisheries Control Regulation, the Technical Measures Regulation, and the Common Market Organisation Regulation.
  • Support: provides support for fishing communities and adaptation to environmental and economic change.

The CFP already contains legally binding objectives to restore and maintain fish stocks above levels capable of producing Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), while applying the precautionary and ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management.


If fully implemented and enforced, the CFP can support the achievements of three major goals:


  1. Healthy fish stocks
  2. Thriving marine ecosystems
  3. Long-term economic stability for coastal communities

The evidence is in the results: In the North-East Atlantic, overfishing has decreased, and several fish stocks have shown signs of recovery. Fishing is not the only human-induced pressure affecting marine ecosystems. The CFP therefore needs to be implemented alongside broader EU environmental legislation to restore fish populations and improve marine ecosystem health.

The challenge is to close the gap between the CFP commitments and reality, not to redesign it. 


Progress remains uneven and closely linked to how seriously Member States enforce the rules.


For the Baltic, the EU Commission has warned that unless Member States fully implement EU legislation, fish stocks will not recover.

THE CFP REFORM WOULD OPEN A PANDORA'S BOX

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EU COMMISSION'S EVALUATION ON THE CFP

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NGO COALITION BRIEFING

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THE CFP REFORM WOULD OPEN A PANDORA'S BOX

Implementing the CFP as it stands is the most effective, simplest and most time-efficient way to achieve measurable improvements in fisheries management and ocean health in the short to medium term. By contrast, reopening the CFP Regulation would trigger years of polarisation and policy paralysis - precisely when fisheries governance must move forward.


On 30 March 2026, on the occasion of the AGRIFISH Council held in Brussels, along with Oceana, BLOOM, ClientEarth, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Seas At Risk and WWF EU, we handed a symbolic ''Pandora’s Box'' to the EU Commissioner Costas Kadis,



sending a clear message as the European Commission prepares its 2026 evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The box represents the risks of revising EU’s main fisheries policy framework: once opened, competing demands from Member States, industry, small-scale fishers, and coastal communities could quickly spiral into division, regulatory delays and uncertainties.

This would put at risk the hard-won progress made in restoring Europe’s fish populations and improving the profitability of the fishing sector. 

BE A HERRING HERO
- HOW YOU CAN HELP

Everyone can play a role in protecting the Baltic herring and the sea
it calls home:

  • Choose sustainably sourced fish – Look for seafood from small-scale, coastal fishers that prioritize long-term health of fish stocks, and avoid fish from stocks that are not in good status, such as the Baltic cod.


  • Stay informed and spread the word – Sharing knowledge helps build support for sustainable policies.


  • Be a Herring Hero! – Your donation can help to support the legal case and to pressure policy-makers to follow the law and protect the Baltic Sea marine life.

Don´t sink the CFP!

The Baltic Sea is in crisis. Key commercial fish stocks have collapsed and urgent political action is needed now. The tools to manage fisheries responsibly and drive the transition to sustainability already exist within the Common Fisheries Policy. What is missing is political will. Reopening the CFP for reform would trigger years of legislative delay, benefiting only those seeking to maintain the status quo — not the coastal communities, local fishermen, or fish populations of the Baltic Sea, all of which are running out of time.

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, CCB Senior Fisheries Policy Advisor

NGO COALITION BRIEFING

NGO COALITION

BRIEFING

DON´T SINK THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY - FULFIL ITS POTENTIAL

Strengthening the implementation of the CFP offers immediate socio-economic and regulatory benefits. It provides stability and predictability for fishers and coastal communities, prevents years of legislative uncertainty, and allows the EU to deliver faster on sustainability goals.
Consistent enforcement can drive economic resilience in fisheries while restoring ocean health without the delays and risks associated with a full reform process.

READ NOW!

For more information:

 

CCB Secretariat: secretariat (at) ccb.se           

 

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