PECH Committee MEPs visit the Bay of Biscay to investigate the EU Common Fisheries Policy’s impact, cross-border tensions, and aquaculture challenges.
EU Delegation Examines Fishing Challenges
A six-member delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries is visiting the Bay of Biscay from 27 to 30 October.
The fact-finding mission aims to understand the challenges facing French and Spanish fishers stemming from the application of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The CFP is the mechanism designed to manage fisheries while ensuring the conservation of marine resources.
Cross-Border Tensions and Closures
A key focus of the mission is assessing the impact of regional fisheries management measures, such as the one-month closures implemented in French waters of the Bay of Biscay in early 2024 and 2025.
These closures directly impacted approximately 300 vessels, primarily from France and Spain, highlighting cross-border cooperation and the inherent tensions linked to fishing area closures.
The delegation will meet with French and Spanish fishing industry representatives, as well as fishers’ cooperatives and the national sea rescue association in Ciboure.
They will also address questions related to the management of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) with national and regional government officials.
Aquaculture and Sustainability on the Agenda
The delegation’s chair, Eric Sargiacomo (S&D, FR), stated that the Basque Country “embodies the major challenges of the common fisheries policy.”
He added that the mission provides an opportunity to listen to local people to defend a “social and sustainable fisheries industry that works for locals.”
The second day of the mission will shift to analysing the CFP’s impact on aquaculture. This includes a visit to a rainbow trout farming and processing workshop and a subsequent meeting with fish farming industry stakeholders and a cannery.
The timing of the visit is part of the Commission’s ongoing stocktake of the CFP’s performance over the last decade (2014-2024).
