Decarbonising EU Fisheries: A Roadmap to 20250

The European Union has committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, which means that human activities should not emit more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than can be removed from the atmosphere. Within this framework, fisheries are expected to contribute to climate mitigation while continuing to provide food, employment and resilience for coastal communities.

Building on recent reports, earlier stakeholders’ recommendations, and the methodology developed by the European Commission with the EU’s Industrial Forum for industrial ecosystem transition pathways (set out in its blueprint), and drawing on the twin green and digital transition approach, this brief turns the available evidence into clear, actionable recommendations and a roadmap to decarbonise the fisheries sector in a fair manner.

It proposes concrete pathways to feed into the European Commission’s forthcoming roadmap for the energy transition of the fisheries sector, expected in the autumn of 2026. Finally, it demonstrates that structured multi-stakeholder engagement, targeted investment, and sustained governance efforts will be key to achieve the 2050 target.