Titled ‘Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture’, the strategy aims to safeguard the livelihoods of communities dependent on the sector. Across the EU, the sector employs more than 200,000 people—nearly 124,500 in fisheries and almost 76,000 in aquaculture, with many more working across processing, wholesale, distribution, and retail.

The strategy covers the entire value chain and seeks to provide the predictability businesses need to invest and grow, while protecting the aquatic resources and ecosystems on which they depend. It is built around strengthening both the supply of and demand for EU aquatic food and sets out key priorities to help the sector thrive: healthy ecosystems, energy transition, securing supply chains, boosting demand and securing a stable food supply, supporting producers and easing access to finance, while strengthening international cooperation.

Healthy Ecosystems as the Foundation for a Strong Sector

The Vision acknowledges and underlines that competitive and resilient fisheries and aquaculture depend on healthy aquatic resources and ecosystems. It also recognizes that the landing obligation—obliging fishers to bring all caught regulated species back to port—has not delivered the expected results in monitoring of unwanted catches, notably in the way it has been applied in practice.

To address this, the Commission will consider the potential of technological innovation and fully documented fisheries, drawing on a dedicated implementation dialogue with stakeholders later this year. This can in turn help fishers, scientists, and authorities better understand when and where unwanted catches occur, and design more effective, practical measures to avoid them.

Supporting the Energy Transition of Fisheries and Aquaculture

Until 2030, the main goal of the Vision is improving energy and resource efficiency, developing new technologies and skills, and using available clean fuels. From 2030 onwards, efforts will shift towards scaling up low- and zero-emission technologies, supported by financing, infrastructure, and fleet modernization.

To support fleet modernization and address the needs of the energy transition, as well as improve safety and working conditions on board, the Commission will consider how to better define effective harvesting capacity alongside capacity for social or environmental purposes.

The Commission will also update its 2014 guidelines for assessing the balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities. These measures will further support Member States in their ongoing efforts to achieve optimal fleet capacity management.

Securing Europe’s Supply of Aquatic Food

The Vision presents measures to support the economic viability and resilience of EU fisheries and aquaculture.

In fisheries, this includes support for investments in more efficient and safe vessels, innovation, and income diversification, promoting activities such as pescatourism.

In aquaculture, the Commission will prepare a legislative instrument and work with Member States towards a more coherent regulatory framework, offering businesses greater certainty and encouraging investment.

Encouraging Consumers to Choose EU-Produced Aquatic Food

The Vision also seeks to boost demand for EU-produced aquatic food by supporting diversification and helping consumers make informed choices.

As part of this effort, the Commission will promote digital traceability for all products across the supply chain by 2029, strengthening transparency, trust, and market value, while helping to align consumption patterns with the EU’s long-term nutrition and food security objectives.

Creating the Right Conditions for Success

To help turn the Vision into reality, the Commission will launch targeted initiatives to:

• improve access to finance, including through the proposed $2 billion minimum reserved allocation for core Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) functions in the EU’s long-term budget for 2028–2034—such as promoting sustainable fishing and aquaculture and marine ecosystem restoration—under future National and Regional Partnership Plans, support from the European Competitiveness Fund, and measures to mobilize private investment;
• support small-scale fishers, including through the future Ocean Act;
• strengthen research and innovation, including by expanding real-time monitoring, notably through artificial intelligence, to better anticipate future fish stock availability and bring science, industry, and public authorities closer together;
• introduce harmonized training and certification standards across the EU; and
• prepare a Blue Generational Renewal Strategy to launch next year to help attract younger generations to the sector.

Acting Globally to Protect Sustainability and Fairness

The Vision also sets out an EU strategy for fisheries external action.

Building on the EU’s international partnerships and size of its internal market, the strategy will promote sustainable fisheries globally while helping secure a diversified and resilient supply of aquatic food in the EU. This includes stepping up the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, strengthening international fisheries rules, and developing a new generation of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs).

In its Vision, the Commission also commits to continue upholding a level playing field and protect the European fisheries value chain from unfair global competition.

The Commission now invites Member States, national and regional authorities, to translate this Vision into tailored measures that reflect local and regional realities.

Background

The Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture is a concrete deliverable of the European Ocean Pact, which was presented in June 2025. It is also included in the mission letter of the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis.

The Vision incorporates two key initiatives:

• the Energy Transition Roadmap for fisheries and aquaculture; and
• the EU strategy for fisheries external action.

It was developed through an extensive participatory process involving actors from across the value chain—including fishers, aquaculture producers, the fish processing industry, Member States, NGOs, Advisory Councils, young people, and citizens—and builds on the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation.