In a report adopted on Thursday 16 July, the European Commission considers that fisheries control in the EU improved between 2020 and 2024, but that significant shortcomings remain, notably in the weighing and registration of catches, compliance with the landing obligation and the enforcement of sanctions (see EUROPE 13273/24).
In its five-yearly report on the implementation of the European Control Regulation (Regulation 1224/2009), the Commission recalls that this text constitutes “a fundamental pillar” of the common fisheries policy (CFP).
Between 2020 and 2024, the Member States made progress in the digitalisation of control tools. The proportion of vessels over 12 metres using an electronic logbook rose from 94% to more than 95%. For vessels of 10 to 12 metres, it increased from 49% to 66%.
Satellite monitoring (VMS) remains widely used for large vessels: 96% of vessels over 15 metres were equipped with it in 2024, compared with 98% in 2020. For vessels of 12 to 15 metres, coverage increased from 36% to 48%.
Despite this progress, the Commission notes “considerable shortcomings” in several Member States regarding the weighing and registration of catches. The audits notably identified problems linked to the use of non-approved weighing systems, the lack of control over quantities landed, the presence of water or ice in weighings, and the incorrect registration of catches. These shortcomings particularly concern certain fisheries in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and western waters and may lead to errors in calculating quota uptake, or even to overruns.
The Commission also notes that Member States made little progress in control of the landing obligation, even though it has been in force since 2019. Audits revealed the existence of illegal and undocumented discards in several sea basins. The new regulation notably provides for the mandatory installation of remote electronic monitoring (REM) systems, including onboard cameras for certain high-risk vessels, from 2028.
Over the 2020-2024 period, Member States reported more than 551,500 suspected infringements committed by operators. The most frequent infringements concern fishing logbooks and landing declarations (26%), product traceability (25%) and declaration requirements applicable to small vessels (8%).
The number of serious infringements increased, rising from around 1,445 in 2020 to 1,979 in 2024. On average, only one suspected infringement in eight was confirmed.
Lastly, the Commission notes significant differences between Member States in sanctions systems and in the implementation of the points system intended for skippers responsible for serious infringements.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/mx4 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)