European Commission unveils "2040 Vision," leaves industry calls for Common Fisheries Policy reform unaddressed
On October 20, 2026, EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Kostas Kadis presented the "2040 Vision" strategy for the next 15 years in Strasbourg, but the strategy did not incorporate the industry's demand for reform of the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy.
On October 20, 2026, EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Kostas Kadis unveiled the EU fisheries and aquaculture "2040 Vision" strategy in Strasbourg, France. The strategy is positioned as building a competitive, resilient and sustainable fisheries sector over the next 15 years, but according to Spain's La Voz de Galicia, this forward-looking plan postpones many issues that the industry believes require immediate action, the most critical being that it does not address reform of the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)—which the European Commission continues to avoid 13 years later.
The "2040 Vision" was released on October 20, with the report published on October 21. According to La Voz de Galicia, industry professionals believe the relevant issues require urgent, immediate action, and the new strategy fails to respond to these pressing concerns.
The Common Fisheries Policy is the core framework for EU fisheries management, and the 2013 rules have been in force for 13 years. The newly announced "2040 Vision" spans 15 years but does not initiate a revision process for that framework.
The report was written by J. G. Santalla and S. M. for La Voz de Galicia and republished by the fisheries information agency FIS.