It sustains food security, livelihoods, biodiversity and climate stability for billions of people. As we approach the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and pass the midpoint of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, global ocean governance must be strengthened, not weakened. For the European Union, that choice is particularly significant.
Through its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the EU has established one of the world’s most ambitious frameworks for fisheries management. At a time when the future direction of the policy is under discussion, preserving its core principles is essential, not only for Europe’s seas and fishing communities, but also for the EU’s standing as a global leader in sustainable ocean governance. The CFP is widely recognized as one of the world’s most ambitious and comprehensive fisheries management frameworks.
Following years of overfishing and declining profitability, its reform in 2013 placed sustainability at the heart of fisheries decision-making. Progress has been neither uniform nor easy, but the overall direction has been clear: healthier fish stocks, improved management and a stronger foundation for the long-term viability of the sector. According to the European Joint Research Centre, in 2003 only 27 percent of fish stocks in the North Atlantic were fished at levels below the maximum sustainable yield.
By 2021 that figure stood at 74 percent, demonstrating the positive result of the CFP. The policy has not just contributed to positive outcomes in European waters. Its legally binding commitments to end overfishing, restore fish stocks to sustainable levels, tackle overcapacity and destructive fishing practices, and promote access for small-scale fishers to marine resources also apply to EU fleets operating outside EU waters.
Moreover, the policy is fully aligned with SDG14, which is dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean’s resources. This is no coincidence, for it reflects a deliberate effort to ensure fisheries management serves both people and nature around the globe over the long term. The CFP’s significance extends well beyond the EU’s maritime borders.
As one of the world’s largest seafood markets and fishing powers, the EU exerts considerable influence over global fisheries governance. Through its Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements with non-EU countries, participation in regional fisheries management organizations and market requirements for imported seafood, the EU has helped promote higher standards on sustainability, transparency and labor rights. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, biodiversity loss and mounting pressure on marine resources, the EU’s leadership in ocean governance is more important than ever.
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