BRUSSELS – A coalition of prominent environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has praised the European Commission’s decision to exclude the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) from the scope of its “Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture.” By opting against a legislative overhaul, the Commission has signaled an intent to focus on the robust implementation of existing regulations rather than revisiting the policy’s foundational framework.
The coalition, which includes BirdLife, Coalition Clean Baltic, ClientEarth, the Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana, and Seas At Risk, argues that reopening the CFP would be counterproductive. They contend that the policy, as it currently stands, is the EU’s most potent tool for ocean preservation and food security. The NGOs stress that the policy has not yet been utilized to its full potential, and further legislative debates would only serve to delay the urgent, on-the-ground action required to restore depleted fish stocks and protect marine biodiversity.
“Reopening a policy that has not yet reached its full potential would waste valuable time and delay the meaningful action that European fishers and marine ecosystems urgently need,” the coalition noted in a joint statement.
The European Commission’s decision follows a formal evaluation of the CFP, which highlighted the necessity of holding individual Member States accountable for the application of current laws. For years, environmental groups have criticized national fisheries ministers for yielding to industrial lobbying groups that advocate for the status quo—a practice the NGOs argue comes at the direct expense of the environment, sustainable small-scale fishing communities, and the broader public interest.
To ensure the long-term viability of the European fishing sector, the coalition has put forward a rigorous roadmap for the Commission and Member States. Central to this agenda is the requirement that fishing opportunities—the total allowable catches—be set strictly below scientific advice. The NGOs emphasize that these limits must account for broader ecosystem indicators rather than single-species metrics, providing the necessary buffer for overfished populations to recover.
Furthermore, the group is calling for a structural transformation of the industry. They argue that the current fishing capacity must be brought into balance with available resources to prevent overexploitation. Critically, as the sector looks toward an energy transition to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, the NGOs warned that this technological shift must not be used as a pretext to increase fleet capacity.
The proposed agenda also emphasizes social equity, advocating for the “European Ocean Act” to prioritize preferential access to coastal waters for low-impact, small-scale fishers. This, the groups suggest, would revitalize coastal economies while simultaneously reducing the industry’s environmental footprint.
Transparency remains a key pillar of the proposed reforms. The coalition is urging for greater clarity regarding the ownership and beneficial ownership of fishing vessels. They believe that shedding light on who controls the industry is essential to combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and preventing the concentration of quotas in the hands of a few large-scale actors.
Looking ahead, the NGOs are pushing for a realignment of public funding. They suggest that future financial frameworks, such as the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), should shift away from supporting industrial-scale status quo and toward data collection, robust monitoring, and the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems.
As the EU moves toward 2040, the coalition maintains that a resilient and competitive fishing sector is only achievable if it is built on the foundation of healthy oceans. The organizations have signaled their readiness to collaborate with European authorities to ensure that the existing CFP is not merely a document, but an active, enforced framework capable of delivering a sustainable future for both nature and the coastal communities that depend upon it.
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