Commission evaluation shows slow progress in fishing sustainability and ongoing challenges for EU fishers
The European Commission today published its evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Regulation, covering the decade from 2014 to 2024.
The evaluation draws a mixed picture: while the report acknowledges some progress in reducing overfishing and strengthening fisheries management, it also shows that there are still shortcomings in sustainability gains. Fish stock recovery remains too slow. At the same time, the economic gains that were predicted in 2014 did not entirely materialise – also due to new challenges including geopolitical developments and high energy prices.
The evaluation also reveals that in most cases, the main challenge is not the CFP’s rules themselves, but inconsistent implementation and enforcement across EU Member States.
This evaluation will inform potential reforms to the CFP and serve as a foundation for the Commission’s 2040 Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture, a 15-year strategic framework to guide policy development in the coming decades. The findings will also feed into the EU’s broader strategy on external fisheries action, ensuring that sustainability remains at the heart of international engagement.
Slow fish stock recovery, hindered economic performance and generational renewal
The value of EU trade in fishery and aquaculture products grew by 18% in real terms between 2015 and 2024. However, progress on the economic and social dimension of the policy has been more limited than expected. While the processing sector has been comparatively more resilient, the fishing sector still faces persistent challenges, including ageing of vessels, rising operational costs and, in particular for small scale fishers, access to fishing opportunities. Moreover, while the share of stocks fished at sustainable levels has risen from 50% in 2014 to 63% in 2022 and fishing pressure has decreased, fish stocks have not recovered as expected which adds to the economic challenges of the fishers.
The contribution of the CFP Regulation to food security has been moderate due to static or declining domestic production. In addition, EU aquaculture, although profitable, remains relatively small in scale and has not achieved the production growth its potential would allow.
Limited transition to better selectivity and slow progress towards ecosystem-based management
Despite the overall reduction of fishing pressure, discarding of unwanted catches is still occurring within EU fisheries. The evaluation finds that the landing obligation—a rule requiring fishers to bring all caught fish to shore, even unwanted or undersized species—has not led to the expected level of improvements in fishing practices or better selectivity notably due to poor implementation of this particular rule.
Progress in ecosystem-based approaches was achieved mainly through protection of marine space, technical measures and international cooperation.
Shifting consumer behaviour
The evaluation notes that consumer behaviour has evolved, with rising demand for processed, convenient seafood products and growing trade-offs between price, quality, and sustainability. However, under the current framework, the added-value of EU rules on consumer information is limited by their scope, which does not cover processed products.
Regionalisation improves governance but slows decision-making
The CFP Regulation introduced a regionalisation framework that moved decision-making away from an exclusively EU-based approach towards co-management between Member States, regional authorities and stakeholders, with the involvement of the Advisory Councils.
The evaluation finds that this framework is working effectively as it has improved shared decision-making and allowed Member States to tailor measures regionally. There are still remaining challenges with the breadth of the type of stakeholders’ representation in the Advisory Councils and the time it can take to adopt measures through the regionalisation procedure.
EU maintains global leadership amid post-Brexit adjustments
The EU has played a leading role in promoting sustainable fisheries management globally and in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, through active participation in Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.
Since the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the management of many stocks in the northern sea basins has shifted from an EU-only framework based on regionalisation to a shared-stock framework. The CFP Regulation provides the legal basis needed to operate in this new context.
Implementation and Member State delivery
A major portion of the CFP’s implementation costs goes toward control, data collection, and sustainability efforts, with EU co-funding helping to ease the financial burden on national budgets. Though stricter monitoring and enforcement require investments and resources, they remain critical for ensuring accurate data, fair competition, and effective fish stock management. While steps like simplifying rules, digitalising processes, and long-term planning have helped reduce bureaucracy, their success depends on consistent implementation by Member States.
Background
The Common Fisheries Policy Regulation entered into force in 2014. The European Commission based this assessment on rigorous evidence-gathering, including targeted stakeholder consultations, public calls for evidence, and technical analyses. This evaluation is part of the European Ocean Pact.
