Fisheries and aquaculture: Council agrees negotiating position on new framework for statistics 15:50 Council agrees on a mandate to begin negotiations with the European[...]

The Council agreed today on a mandate to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on a regulation establishing a new European framework for fisheries and aquaculture statistics.

The new framework will modernise the collection and use of statistical data on fisheries and aquaculture across the European Union, thereby allowing for the use of reliable and timely data, which are essential for designing, implementing and evaluating EU policies, including the common fisheries policy (CFP), and for supporting sustainable management of marine resources and the development of the blue economy.

The future regulation will replace five existing regulations that currently govern the collection of data on fish catches, landings, the EU fishing fleet and aquaculture production, and create a single and coherent legal framework. By consolidating these regulations, the new framework is expected to improve consistency and efficiency in data collection and reporting across the EU.

The updated framework also seeks to make better use of modern data sources and digital technologies, including administrative data and electronic databases and registers. At the same time, it aims to ensure high standards of quality, comparability and reliability for European statistics.

In the negotiating mandate agreed today EU member states clarified several elements of the Commission proposal, including reporting requirements, the scope of data collection and the balance between additional statistical information and the need to limit administrative burden for national authorities and economic operators.

Next steps

Negotiations between the Council presidency and the European Parliament are expected to start later this year.

• Commission proposal (30 July 2025)