What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Removed:EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Added:(9) in Article 50(2), the following points are added:

Removed:The proposal presented by the European Commission aims to strengthen the EU’s external fisheries governance, in line with the multilateral framework established by the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) worldwide, and to transpose into EU law most of the rules agreed multilaterally in NAFO, IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC, SPRFMO and WCPFC between 2018 and 2024. This initiative reflects the EU’s continued commitment to promoting sustainable fisheries, fair competition, and the protection of marine ecosystems at the global level.

Added:‘(o) changes to closure periods as provided in Article 6(1), point (ea);”

Removed:Whilst the Rapporteur welcomes the Commission’s proposal - which has the primary aim to facilitate the inter-institutional process of transposing rules adopted annually by RFMOs – he underlines his cautious approach towards amassing proposals of all RFMOs into one-single massive dossier – in contrast to previous transposition exercises being done per RFMO. The Rapporteur believes that such an approach, risks leading to the inter-institutional process being stuck for a long period due to a small number of points, possibly stemming from a minority of RFMO recommendations, at the detriment of European fishers who are seeking legal clarity. To that end, the Rapporteur calls on the Commission to engage with the Parliament prior to future transposition proposals in order to review this process.

Added:(p) by-catch retained on board as provided for in Article 7(3);

Removed:With the aim to ensure a strict and timely transposition, the Rapporteur introduced amendments integrating RFMOs Recommendations adopted until 2024 which were missing in the Commission’s proposals (namely those stemming from ICCAT, IOTC, NAFO and SPRFMO). This approach guarantees that the EU maintains its role as a global leader in responsible fisheries management, ensures that citizens and stakeholders have legal clarity with the most up-to-date international standards being transposed into EU law and upholds a level playing field for EU operating under the management of these RFMOs.

Added:(q) information for the notification by the master of the fishing vessel and Member States in relation to lost or abandoned fishing gear, and retrieval of fishing gear as provided for in Article 15(1) and (2);

Removed:Furthermore, the text highlights the potential future role of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) as the body acting on behalf of the European Commission in managing information flows and in serving as a reference point for Member States. This is reflected throughout the proposal by the recurring phrase “...or the body designated by the Commission.”

Added:(r) derogations from the observer programme as provided for in Article 27(3);

Removed:Finally, the amendments introduced by the Rapporteur enhance the readability and accessibility of the legal text for EU citizens and fishing operators, while ensuring coherence between the Union’s trade policy and its broader international ocean governance and sustainability objectives. Several parts of the proposal required updates to data protection provisions, in order to guarantee additional clarity and transparency for EU citizens and fishing operators when consulting the relevant legislation.

Added:(s) changes to the reference to NAFO document for vessel activity list used by Member States in accordance with Article 30(1), point (d).’;

Added:(10) in the Annex, point (38) is replaced by the following:

Added:‘(38) Surveillance Report Form in Annex IV.A to the CEM referred to in Article 30(2), point (a), and Article 45, point (a), to this Regulation;’.

Added:Article 4 Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2021/56

Added:Regulation (EU) 2021/56 is amended as follows:

Added:(1) in Article 3, the following point is added:

Added:‘(25)“Electronic Monitoring System” or “EMS” means an integrated system of hardware and software that supports acquisition of video footage of fishing activity, positional and/or sensor data, that allows the analysis and reporting of electronic monitoring records.’;

Added:(2) in Article 4, the following paragraphs are inserted:

Added:‘1a. Purse seine vessels that exceed their annual catch limit shall be subject to a longer closure period than those referred to in paragraph 1 during the following year, as follows:

Added:(a) for purse seine vessels that exceeded the annual catch limit of 1,200 metric tonnes of bigeye tuna the closure period shall be increased by 10 days;

Added:(b) for purse seine vessels that exceeded the annual catch limit of 1,500 metric tonnes of bigeye tuna the closure period shall be increased by 13 days;

Added:(c) or purse seine vessels ▌ that exceeded the annual catch limit of 1,800 metric tonnes of bigeye tuna, the closure period shall be increased by 16 days;

Added:(d) for purse seine vessels that exceeded the annual catch limit of 2,100 metric tonnes, the closure period shall be increased ▌ by 19 days;

Added:(e) for purse seine vessels ▌ that exceeded the annual catch limit of 2,400 metric tonnes, the closure period ▌ shall be increased by 22 days.

Added:1b. ▌ The additional days of closure pursuant to ▌ paragraph 1a shall be added, as appropriate, to the beginning of the closure for vessels observing the first period referred to in paragraph 1 and to the end of the closure for vessels observing the second period referred to in paragraph 1, such that the closure of the first period always ends on 8 October of each year, and the second period always begins on 9 November of each year.

Added:1c. In order to apply paragraph 1a, Each Member State shall strengthen the monitoring and control system for tuna catches through, inter alia, using on-board observer data, logbooks, port sampling and information from tuna processing facilities. The Commission shall compile and submit to the IATTC Secretariat the final data on the annual catches of bigeye tuna made by individual vessels flying the flag of a Member State no later than 15 February of the following year.

Added:1d. Member States shall estimate the catch of bigeye tuna of each vessel flying its flag at the end of each trip, in the days immediately after the conclusion of the trip and discharge (for example observer estimates, ship's log data, well sampling, cannery data).’;

Added:(3) the following article is inserted:

Added:‘Article 4a Report of annual by-catches of Pacific bluefin tuna

Added:Each Member State shall report to the Commission annually any by-catches of Pacific bluefin tuna, which cannot exceed 10 metric tonnes per year. The Commission shall report this information annually to the IATTC Secretariat.’;

Added:(4) Article 6 is amended as follows:

Added:(a) the following paragraphs are inserted:

Added:‘2a. Union purse seine vessels may deactivate a satellite buoy attached to a FAD only in the following circumstances:

Added:(a) complete loss of signal reception;

Added:(b) beaching;

Added:(c) appropriation of a FAD by a third party;

Added:(d) temporarily during a selected closure period;

Added:(e) when outside of:

Added:(i) the area between the meridians 150°W and 100°W, and the parallels 8°N and 10°S;

Added:(ii) the area between the meridian 100°W and the coast of the American continent and the parallels 5°N and 15°S; or

Added:(f) transfer of ownership.

Added:2b. Union purse seine vessels may remotely reactivate a satellite buoy attached to a FAD at sea in the following circumstances: to assist in the recovery of a beached FAD; after a temporary deactivation during the closure period; or transfer of ownership while the FAD is at sea.

Added:2c. Union purse seine vessels shall report any deactivation or remote reactivation of a satellite buoy attached to a FAD to the flag Member State in conformity with Annexes II and III. The Member State shall send the reports to the Commission at monthly intervals with a time delay of at least 60 days, but no longer than 70 days after the deactivation or remote reactivation. The Commission shall send the reports to the IATTC Secretariat no later than 90 days after the deactivation or remote reactivation of satellite buoys.’;

Added:(b) the following paragraph is inserted:

Added:‘4a. Each Member State shall submit to the Commission information concerning the status of implementation of paragraph 4 for each calendar year in a format consistent with the IATTC standards for the provision of catch and effort data, and this information shall be made available for analysis to the IATTC Scientific staff and the Ad Hoc Working Group on FADs.’;

Added:(c) paragraphs 5 and 6 are deleted.▌;

Added:(5) the following Article is inserted:

Added:‘Article 6a FAD design and recovery

Added:1. To reduce the entanglement of sharks, marine turtles or any other species, Union fishing vessels shall deploy or redeploy only FADs that are not constructed with mesh net or entangling material, in accordance with the specifications set out in Annex IV.

Added:2. To reduce the amount of synthetic marine debris:

Added:(a) as of 1 January 2026, the operators of Union fishing vessels shall only deploy or redeploy drifting FADs of biodegradability category I, II, III or IV, as defined in Annex IV;

Added:(b) as of 1 January 2029, the operators of Union fishing vessels shall only deploy or redeploy drifting FADs of biodegradability category I or II, as defined in Annex IV.

Added:3. Non-biodegradable materials, in particular nylon ropes, shall be used exclusively to strengthen the structure of the floating or underwater component of the FAD of biodegradability categories I and II, as a temporary solution in the absence of the availability of a biodegradable alternative.

Added:4. To prevent drifting loss or stranding, Member States may initiate voluntary recovery programmes for drifting FADs through cooperative initiatives among fishing vessels operating in the Convention Area or vessels implementing projects for the recovery of such FADs. Without restricting regular fishing operations of purse seine vessels fishing with FADs, such recovery activities shall be limited to the collection of drifting FADs for final disposal, and shall not include any type of maintenance or adjustment. Those vessels shall not deploy FADs unless they are authorised purse seine vessels. Drifting FADs collected under the voluntary recovery programme shall be taken on board and brought to port for recycling or disposal.’;

Added:(6) the following articles are inserted:

Added:‘Article 7a Port State measures

Added:1. A Member State wishing to grant access to its ports to third-country fishing vessels carrying IATTC fishery products caught in the Convention Area or fishery products originating from such resources that have not been previously landed or transhipped at port or at sea shall:

Added:(a) designate the ports to which third-country fishing vessels may request entry pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008;

Added:(b) designate a point of contact for the purposes of receiving prior notice pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008;