EU Council Agrees Negotiating Position on Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics Framework

EU Council Sanctions Press Releases

Published March 11th, 2026

Detected March 12th, 2026

Summary

The Council of the EU has agreed on a negotiating position for a new regulation on fisheries and aquaculture statistics. This framework aims to modernise data collection, replace five existing regulations, and improve the use of digital technologies. Negotiations with the European Parliament are expected to begin later in 2026.

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What changed

The Council of the EU has agreed on a negotiating mandate to begin discussions with the European Parliament regarding a new regulation that will establish a unified European framework for fisheries and aquaculture statistics. This initiative seeks to consolidate and modernize the collection and use of statistical data, replacing five existing regulations. The new framework will leverage modern data sources and digital technologies to ensure reliable and timely data for policy design, implementation, and evaluation, particularly concerning the common fisheries policy and sustainable management of marine resources.

While this represents a significant step towards a modernized statistical framework, the document indicates that the Council has clarified elements of the Commission's proposal concerning reporting requirements, data scope, and the balance between data collection and administrative burden. The next steps involve negotiations between the Council presidency and the European Parliament, expected to commence later in 2026. Regulated entities should anticipate future updates on specific data reporting obligations and potential changes to data collection processes once the regulation is finalized.

What to do next

Monitor negotiations between the Council and European Parliament on the new statistics framework.
Prepare for potential updates to data collection and reporting requirements for fisheries and aquaculture operations.

Source document (simplified)

Council of the EU
Press release
11 March 2026 15:50

Fisheries and aquaculture: Council agrees negotiating position on new framework for statistics

The Council agreed today on a mandate to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on a regulation establishing a new European framework for fisheries and aquaculture statistics.

The new framework will modernise the collection and use of statistical data on fisheries and aquaculture across the European Union, thereby allowing for the use of reliable and timely data, which are essential for designing, implementing and evaluating EU policies, including the common fisheries policy (CFP), and for supporting sustainable management of marine resources and the development of the blue economy.

Once adopted, the new framework will help ensure that policymakers, researchers and stakeholders have access to high-quality data to support sustainable fisheries, responsible aquaculture and evidence-based policymaking across the European Union.

Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus
The future regulation will replace five existing regulations that currently govern the collection of data on fish catches, landings, the EU fishing fleet and aquaculture production, and create a single and coherent legal framework. By consolidating these regulations, the new framework is expected to improve consistency and efficiency in data collection and reporting across the EU.

The updated framework also seeks to make better use of modern data sources and digital technologies, including administrative data and electronic databases and registers. At the same time, it aims to ensure high standards of quality, comparability and reliability for European statistics.

In the negotiating mandate agreed today EU member states clarified several elements of the Commission proposal, including reporting requirements, the scope of data collection and the balance between additional statistical information and the need to limit administrative burden for national authorities and economic operators.