European fisheries hope for closer EU-UK collaboration after Labour victory

4 months ago 14

The Labour Party’s victory in the UK general election has opened up the prospect of harmonisation and collaboration with the EU, according to Europe’s fishing industry, although concerns remain about bans in marine protected areas.

We “welcome the new UK government’s wish to have a warmer bond with the EU, as the UK remains an important and strategic partner,” Europêche, Europe’s leading industrial fishing company, told Euractiv.

With the Labour Party’s victory in the recent UK elections heralding regulatory alignment and a “common-sense” relationship with the EU, Europe’s fishing industry has high expectations for its new relationship with the UK.

The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is up for renewal in 2026, and the EU’s fisheries sector hopes that the negotiations that are about to start will enable it to retain reciprocal access to British markets and waters.

Since Brexit, the EU fleet has obtained new fishing rights in British waters, but it must give back 25% of its quotas by June 2026, according to the agreement.

Environmental NGOs pressure

Environmental groups have also welcomed Labour’s accession to power and will be pressing for its environmental commitments to be honoured.

They are mainly calling for an end to bottom trawling, overfishing in British waters, and reforms of social inequalities in the sector.

“We urgently need a clear, long-term plan to end overfishing in our waters,” Hugo Tagholm, Executive Director for Oceana UK, told Euractiv.

Last March, the British Conservative government announced a ban on this practice in 13 of the 178 marine protected areas, covering a total of 4,000 km2.

“We now need to know the details of these commitments and we stand ready to assist the government in this crucial task”.

The environment is at the heart of Labour’s programme, which aims to decarbonise the production of raw materials, agriculture and fisheries, moving towards energy saving, and ratifying the adoption of the Global Ocean Treaty presented by the United Nations in 2023.

This agreement aims to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030, particularly on the high seas – outside national jurisdictions – by implementing protection measures, including the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs).

Cooperation and harmonisation

The European fishing industry wants to take advantage of the possible start of a new phase of dialogue between the EU and the UK to step up the harmonisation of environmental standards, in order to “to ensure fair competition and sustainable practices” on both sides of the English Channel.

The new London government, in its view, should work with the EU to establish “joint management” of the fish stocks.

Initiatives such as the UK’s announcement of increasing the number of marine protected areas and the proposed ban on bottom trawling in all MPAs, which affect EU fleets, Europêche said, “do not go in that direction.”

A diplomatic battle is currently ongoing between the member states and the UK over the ban on fishing in British MPAs.

Europêche invited the new government to “reconsider this blanket approach and instead supports fisheries restrictions on a case-by-case basis aligned with the ecological needs of the protected area as suggested by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.”