The Council of the EU will shortly approve a regulation setting autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for
certain fishery products for the years 2021-2023. The ATQ regulation covers species such as tuna,
Alaska pollack, cod, flatfish or shrimp for which a relatively high volume can be imported from non-EU
countries at a reduced or zero-duty tariff. The fishing industry represented by Europêche and EAPO
believe that ATQs are being used in many cases with the sole purpose of getting access to cheap and
low-standard fish from foreign fleets which in turn puts pressure on EU producers’ prices and
employment. Both organisations call on the EU Council of Ministers to reduce the amount of imported
duty-free fish to at least levels set in the European Commission’s proposal.
Every two or three years, the EU revise the volume of fish for which custom duties are suspended or
reduced, taking into consideration the utilisation rate, the need for a level playing field between EU
and non-EU producers, value added and other trade preferences. Following a rather balanced
proposal from the Commission, the Council of the EU is significantly increasing tariff quotas and even
introducing new species that can benefit from tax derogations. This has not come as a surprise to the
fishing industry since, from the beginning, there has been a constant trend to increase the amount of
tons exempted from import duties in the EU. While in 1992, only 6 species representing 43,000 tons
were granted reduced import duties, the EU will grant zero duty access to more than 20 species
representing 810,000 tons, compared to 750,000 tons in the previous regulation.
Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared: “The same story repeats revision after revision. The
Council only listens to some EU processing companies that want to get access to cheap fish from non-
EU countries regardless of the origin or way of production. The increases in volume of duty-free fish
works to the detriment of EU producers who have to comply with the highest standards of
sustainability. Why demanding so much to our fishermen when the EU opens a back door for non-EU
products without even questioning their sustainability? Only yesterday, the Council committed to
ensuring a fair income and strong support for primary producers under the farm to fork strategy. The
new ATQ Regulation is therefore a step in the wrong direction. The EU should work towards achieving
a true level playing field in practice, and not just on paper, between EU produced and third country
produced seafood.”
The EU catching sector is not opposed to a rational tariff free setting for certain fishery products that
are not sufficiently produced in the EU. However, in light of the negative socio-economic
consequences of ATQs for the EU fishing industry, this instrument cannot be intended to foment
imports from non-sustainable sources nor to put pressure on EU producers’ prices.
Mr Pim Visser, President of EAPO, declared: “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fishermen are facing
extremely low prices and the quantities of unsold catches for certain species is rising. Already 60% of
the fish consumed in the EU comes from outside our borders. Subsidising additional fish imports from
non-EU countries would not only increase Union market’s dependence on fish imports but also put
further pressure on prices and leave our companies out of business. Fishers feel abandoned by an EU
that puts so much emphasis on the sustainability of EU products but so little on imported fish.”
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