December 18, 2025 — The Council of the European Union has released details of a political agreement reached by EU fisheries ministers on fishing opportunities for 2026 in the Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean and Black Sea.
The agreement, which concluded after two days of complex negotiations at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, sets total allowable catches (TACs) and fishing effort limits for key commercial stocks, and also incorporates outcomes of consultations with the UK and Norway.
The new measures will apply from 1 January 2026, following formal adoption and publication in the EU’s Official Journal. In its announcement, the EU Council said the agreement aims to balance scientific advice (from ICES and STECF) with socioeconomic considerations, in line with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Jacob Jensen, Denmark’s minister for food, agriculture and fisheries, who chaired the negotiations, said the compromise had “broad support among the member states”, and would provide fishers with “certainty about their fishing opportunities for 2026.”