Northern agreements

EU fishing activities in the North Sea and North-East Atlantic are closely linked to those of our neighbours – the United Kingdom, Norway, Faroe Islands and Iceland. With many of the targeted stocks shared across boundaries, it makes good sense for all 5 parties to coordinate their activities, especially as the different fleets are not necessarily interested in the same stocks.

Therefore, many of the stocks concerned are jointly managed, and quotas are exchanged to ensure they are not wasted. Some of these stocks are managed through the intergovernmental North-East Atlantic Fisheries Convention (NEAFC) set up to manage fish stocks in the region, while others are managed through agreements between the coastal states.

These agreements are extremely important to a large section of the EU fleet, especially the agreement with Norway.

The EU has bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, Norway, Faroe Islands and Iceland.

09/12/2024

28/11/2024

21/10/2024

17/06/2024

11/06/2024

14-24/05/2024

12/03/2024

29/01/2024

Cooperation under the Scientific Committee on Fisheries

23/04/2024

18/04/2024

Related links

Specialised Committee on Fisheries

The EU has three fisheries agreements with Norway, namely bilateral, trilateral and neighbouring agreements. The bilateral arrangement covers the North Sea and the Atlantic, the trilateral agreement covers Skagerrak and Kattegat (Denmark, Sweden and Norway) and the neighbourhood arrangement covers the Swedish fishery in Norwegian waters of the North Sea.

Agreed record of fisheries consultations

05/12/2024

28/11/2024

19/06/2024

11/06/2024

08/12/2023

29/06/2023

17/03/2023

09/12/2022

10/12/2021

18/06/2021

22/03/2021

16/03/2021

05/01/2021

19-21/10/2020

24/04/2020

22/04/2020

12-13/12/2019

22-23/10/2019

17/10/2019

11/04/2019

07/12/2018

06/09/2018

07/06/2018

25/04/2018

Arrangements

The agreements are implemented in the form of annual fisheries arrangements. The bilateral and the trilateral arrangements allow for the setting of TACs for joint stocks, transfers of fishing possibilities, joint technical measures and issues related to control and enforcement. The neighbourhood arrangement includes fishing possibilities transferred from Norway to Sweden in accordance with the fisheries agreement between Norway and Sweden of December 1976.

The bilateral agreement is the single most important agreement the EU has with a third party both in terms of exchange of fish possibilities and in terms of joint management measures.

Timeline

Entry into force: 16 June 1981

Initial period: 0 years to 1991 (OJ L 191 of 14 July 1981, page 19)

Renewal: Extended four further periods of 6 years until 2015, subsequent tacit renovation for periods of 6 years unless a notice of termination is given.

Notice of termination: 9 months

Legal framework

Framework agreement  adopted by Council regulation (EEC) 2214/80 of 27 June 1980, OJ - L 226 of 29 August 1980, page 47

Agreed record of fisheries consultations

19-21/10/2020

22/04/2020

12-13/12/2019

10/12/2019

22-23/10/2019

12/12/2018

05/12/2007

Timeline

Entry into force: 2 February 1990

Initial period: 10 years to 2000

Renewal: Extended 2 further periods of 6 years to 2012, subsequent tacit renovation for periods of 6 years unless a notice of termination is given.

Notice of termination: 9 months

Legal framework

The Framework Agreement was adopted by Council Regulation (EEC) 2211/80 of 27 June 1980, OJ - L 226 of 29 August 1980, page 11

The agreement with Iceland is "dormant". No bilateral fisheries arrangements have been agreed since 2008.

Legal framework

Agreement on fisheries and the marine environment between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland OJ L 161, 2.7.1993, p. 2–3

16/05/2023

09/12/2022

Mackerel

Atlanto-Scandian herring

Blue whiting

Control measures

NEAFC

NEAFC

Regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs)