EU Parliament: All fish products should be treated equally

The Parliament of the European Union (EU) is urging the EU Commission to take steps to help ensure that fishery products from non-EU countries meet EU food regulations and standards.

In a non-binding resolution approved in late May by an overwhelming majority of Members, the Parliament calls on the Commission to implement control measures on imported fisheries and aquaculture products that will assure compliance with the EU’s food conservation, management standards and hygiene requirements. The resolution also instructs the Commission and EU member states to increase efforts to help ensure the consistent implementation of EU food regulations throughout all stages of the food supply chain.

The Parliament’s resolution also asks the Commission to investigate the feasibility of creating a label that would clearly identify fishery products of EU origin.

According to a press release issued by the EU Parliament, the EU is the largest market for fishery and aquaculture products in the world, constituting 24 percent of total global imports in 2016. Further, EU members states depend on imports for over 60 percent of their total consumption of fishery and aquaculture products.

The Parliament says that taking the actions outlined in its resolution would help to promote fairer competition among fishery product suppliers while also supporting efforts to promote the sustainability of fishery harvesting practices.