This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 3 2026.
Spain, France and Italy have agreed to coordinate their positions ahead of EU negotiations on fishing days in the Mediterranean for 2027 and to jointly push for reform of the regulation limiting trawl fishing in the region. The agreement was reached at a trilateral ministerial meeting held in Nicosia, on the sidelines of the EU Informal Council of Fisheries Ministers and the MedFish4Ever Ministerial Conference. The three countries’ agriculture and fisheries ministers underlined the importance of maintaining a united approach ahead of the December Council, where fishing opportunities for 2027 will be set, replicating a coordinated strategy that they say yielded positive results the previous year. For Spain, the objective is to maintain at least the same number of fishing days as in 2026 and to secure the removal of restrictions on red shrimp catches that have been in place since 2022, subject to favourable scientific assessments. Spain currently holds the presidency of the Pescamed group, which also includes Italy and France, and is preparing a formal proposal to present to Brussels. The three ministers also called on the European Commission to revise the multiannual plan for demersal fisheries in the western Mediterranean, which has significantly restricted trawling activity. The reform push reflects growing pressure from southern European fishing nations over what they describe as disproportionate constraints on their fleets.
