The European Commission is consulting the public on the sustainability of the EU tariff reduction regime for import of fisheries products

Today, the European Commission published a questionnaire seeking feedback from the public on the sustainability of the EU’s autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for import of fisheries products. 

The ATQ regime allows for the reduction or suspension of customs duties to facilitate the EU industry’s access to raw materials that are not available in sufficient quantities and/or at competitive prices within the EU. The ATQs apply on a first-come first-served basis for specific quantities of fisheries products, currently with no sustainability conditions attached. This raises questions related to the possible impacts on the conservation and management of the concerned fish stocks from non-EU fisheries, social and trade matters, as well as the competitiveness of the EU fishing sector. The Commission is therefore considering potential adjustments to address the sustainability of imported fishery products under the ATQ regime. 

Stakeholders will be invited to express their views and provide evidence regarding a potential revision of the ATQ regime to better address environmental, social and economic sustainability. This may include the introduction of sustainability criteria for imported products to benefit from the tariff reductions. The consultation process aims to ensure that citizens and stakeholders play an active role in evidence-based policymaking. 

Today’s public consultation is addressed to

• citizens 
• non-governmental organisations 
• economic operators of the fisheries value chains 
• trade unions and consumers’ organisations 
• researchers and members of the academia 
• public authorities and international organisations 

both in and outside the EU. 

Next steps 

The questionnaire will be available online for a period of twelve weeks, until 3 July 2025 (midnight Brussels time). 

The feedback received through the questionnaire and the Call for Evidence (which ran from 7 October to 4 November 2024) will feed into the evaluation of the current regime and the impact assessment of potential future policy options, which are conducted back-to-back. Any potential future action will take into account the results of the evaluation and impact assessment, including this public consultation. 

Background 

Council regulation 2023/2720 currently provides for ATQs in the fisheries sector for the 2024-2026 period. The regulation opens 31 quotas covering unprocessed and semi-processed fisheries products needed for the EU’s processing sector. For most products, the in-quota tariff is set at zero, which helps reduce the cost of raw materials and promotes food security and competitive prices for EU consumers. 

More information 

 Call for evidence 

 Autonomous tariff quotas