Subject: The establishment of a tariff quota for tropical tuna loins for the years 2024 and 2025
In the proposal for a regulation on autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for certain fishery products, the quota for tuna loins remains unchanged from the 2021-2023 period, when it was set at 35 000 tonnes. Between 2020 and 2023, 98.30% of this quota was used up by China (60.38%), Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. These countries brought products into our market that do not meet our social and environmental standards and that prevent European shipowners from competing on a level playing field. The quota, which is used up in the first days of January, causes a drop in prices on account of the use of practices incompatible with the objectives of the common fisheries policy (CFP). Regulation 2020/1706 states: ‘To ensure fair competition between imported fish products and EU fish products on the EU market, the impact of the measures on the competitiveness of EU fish producers, should also be taken into consideration.’
1. Does the Commission believe that the current ATQ for tuna loins allows European shipowners to be competitive?
2. How will it incorporate sustainability criteria into the ATQs to assure consumers of canned tuna that all canned tuna complies with European social and environmental standards, in line with the farm to fork strategy?
Submitted: 21.9.2023
Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission (8 November 2023)
The autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for fishery products have formed part of the EU’s fisheries policy for the past two decades. Their purpose is to grant access to raw materials or semi-finished fisheries goods that are not available in the EU in sufficient quantities.
In other words, they ensure the supply of fish to the EU processing industry, which would otherwise not be able to satisfy consumers’ demand.
The ATQs apply erga omnes to all third countries and the EU importers who provide fish to the EU processing industry are free to choose the source of their supply.
In order to ensure a balance between the legitimate interests of the EU fishers and the EU processing industry, the Commission’s ATQ proposal for 2024 and 2025 takes into account the requests submitted by Member States and stakeholders in a prior consultation (which sometimes may differ from one another, in particular as regards the tuna loins quota); and maintains the status quo for the quotas for tuna loins.
The Commission is aware of the sustainability concerns, and this is why before proposing the next ATQ Regulation, the Commission intends to assess the ATQ regime in terms of environmental sustainability of stocks but also in terms of social and economic sustainability, in order to consider future policy choices.
This assessment will consider the sustainability of the fishery imports with reference to EU standards and sustainability norms.
