On Thursday 11 and Friday 12 December in Brussels, the European fisheries ministers negotiated hard to reach agreements on Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas for 2026 in the Atlantic, Channel and North Sea on the one hand, and in Mediterranean waters on the other.
Spain, France and Italy have fought hard to ease the restrictions proposed by the European Commission on trawlers in the Mediterranean in 2026 (see EUROPE 13770/9).
Luis Planas, the Spanish minister, felt that the proposal – which provides for only nine fishing days a year for his country if the sector does not make even greater efforts to promote the sustainability of species – “seems to have come from another planet”.
The proposal provides for a 65% reduction in fishing effort for French and Spanish trawlers (in one area) and a 64% reduction in another area (involving Italy and France). The European Commission agrees to grant additional fishing days, subject to strict conditions. Trilateral meetings were held on Thursday and Friday, before a compromise text was examined on Friday evening. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)