Common fisheries policy – evaluation consultations

Until April 21, 2025. The European Commission is waiting for our comments, proposals and opinions for the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy. The evaluation is intended to provide an overview of the support instruments and the results of activities undertaken between 2014 and 2024. As part of its ongoing work, the European Commission will assess whether the overall goal of ensuring environmentally sustainable fisheries and aquaculture that are managed in a manner consistent with the objectives of economic, social and employment benefits has been achieved.

All organizations, public bodies and the public are encouraged to participate in the public consultation. For more information, visit the European Commission website. Remember, your vote counts! Take part in the consultation.

Common fisheries policy

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is a set of regulations for the sustainable management of European fishing fleets, fish stocks and their conservation.

It was originally part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and aimed at:

• increasing productivity;
• Stabilizing markets;
• Providing a source of healthy food;
• Ensuring reasonable prices for consumers.

Over time, it gained a separate policy with its own legislation and structural framework. The accession to the EU of more and more countries with significant fish stocks and fleets has forced it to address issues such as fisheries conservation and international relations.

Current main documents of the Common Fisheries Policy

In 2023. The European Commission (EC) has adopted a package of measures to improve the sustainability and resilience of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector. The package is:

• Communication on the Functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy, assessing operations 10 years after the last reform in 2013;
• The EU Action Plan: Protecting and Restoring Marine Ecosystems for Sustainable and Resilient Fisheries, which is part of the European Commission’s efforts to more coherently implement the EU’s environmental policy and the Common Fisheries Policy with its three pillars – environmental, economic and social;
• Energy transition in EU fisheries and aquaculture sector – The EC has proposed measures to help the sector accelerate its energy transition by improving fuel efficiency and switching to renewable, low-carbon energy sources;
• CMO – The EC is encouraging the use of cleaner energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and impacts on marine ecosystems.

To achieve its goals, the reformed CFP introduced such measures as:

• Managing fishery resources at a sustainable level;
• The gradual introduction of the obligation to land all catches, using catch limits or minimum sizes;
• multi-year fishery management plans;
• Fleet capacity ceilings for individual European Union (EU) countries;
• obligation to ensure a stable and sustainable balance between the size of fishing fleets and available fishing opportunities in member countries;
• Conservation measures in all EU sea areas;
• Greater stakeholder involvement and better cooperation in EU decision-making, including at the regional level.

Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy

The evaluation of the CFP is to be based on the package of measures adopted in 2023 and dialogue with: EU member states, EU institutions, advisory committees, social partners and all other stakeholders. As part of the ongoing work, the impact of the CFP on the conservation of living marine resources and the management of fisheries and fleets will be evaluated. It will also examine the impact of the policy on the supply chain, consumers and public authorities in all EU member states from 2014 to 2024. The evaluation will build on previous consultations, such as the Commission’s Communication on the Common Fisheries Policy of Today and Tomorrow (COM(2023) 103).

The evaluation will take into account 5 key criteria:

• How effective is the CFP in achieving its goals?
• How effective has the CFP been in terms of cost-effectiveness and proportionality of actual costs to benefits?
• To what extent does the CFP meet current and future needs?
• To what extent is the CFP internally and externally consistent with other EU activities (better regulation)?
• To what extent does the CFP add value and does it deliver results beyond what would be achieved by individual EU countries?

This evaluation is also linked to the evaluation of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the mid-term evaluation of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.

Consultation on the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy

The consultations, which run until April 21, 2025, are the next step in a comprehensive assessment of the functioning of the current CFP regulation and whether it is meeting its objectives and responding to the challenges identified. They are also part of Commissioner Costas Kadis’ political mission to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the CFP and follow-up.

The European Commission is asking interested parties to provide their opinions on the approach to the problem identified and possible solutions, and to provide any relevant information. The questionnaire for public consultation is available on the EC website in all 24 official languages of the Union.

A summary report will be published on the EC’s dedicated consultation website, and the results will be reflected in the final evaluation report. Adoption of the evaluation by the European Commission is planned for the third quarter of 2025.