Europêche accuses EU of neglecting tuna fleet impact

The European fishing industry group, Europêche, has accused the European Commission of ignoring the socioeconomic impact on the EU's long-distance tuna fleet caused by trade agreements with third countries. The organization claims that while the EU imposes strict environmental, labor, and food safety regulations on its own vessels, it allows tuna from other nations to enter the market duty-free despite documented risks of forced labor and food safety issues in countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

Europêche reports that official data shows a drastic increase in tuna imports, ranging between 16% and 37%, alongside market price drops of up to 22%. The industry argues that the Commission's current tools for alerting authorities to sustained import increases and subsequent price drops are being underutilized, specifically regarding frozen loins and fillets which directly compete with the EU fleet.