Pressure on Cyprus to safeguard EU fishing laws during presidency

As Cyprus takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Oceana is urging the island nation to secure decades of progress on rebuilding fisheries and to pursue ocean health as a strategic pillar for EU security, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.

Oceana is the largest international advocacy organisation focused solely on ocean conservation, using science-based campaigns to influence policy and protect marine life.

Since its founding in 2001, it has worked to rebuild ocean abundance by fighting overfishing, reducing plastic pollution, and preserving critical habitats around the globe.

In its statement, Oceana said the first semester of 2026 will be decisive in preserving effective fisheries legislation and in drafting a coherent framework that protects the ocean and the communities that depend on it.

As an island nation in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is being called upon to steer the Union towards what the organisation described as an unequivocal strategic direction, a restored ocean that strengthens Europe’s security by providing food, employment and resilience against the climate crisis.

The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU comes at a critical time for marine policy in Europe. During the first half of 2026, the European Commission will conclude its evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and, based on its results, decide whether to initiate a revision of this key EU law.

At the same time, other initiatives will remain at the top of the EU ocean agenda, including the development of the EU Ocean Act, the publication of a 2040 vision for EU fisheries, the achievement of internationally agreed marine protection targets and the fight against illegal fishing.

In that context, Oceana’s executive director and vice president in Europe, Vera Coelho, said Cyprus was “on the frontline of the devastation caused by climate change and by the depletion of fish stocks in the Mediterranean”.

As an island nation and the home country of the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, she said Cyprus had both the opportunity and the responsibility to set the tone for the next decade of ocean policy.

However, Coelho warned that the benefits of ocean recovery, achieved after decades of hard work, are now under threat. She said it was crucial that the Cypriot Presidency safeguards this progress, cautioning against the so-called “simplification” agenda promoted by industrial lobbies.

Oceana is calling on the Cypriot Presidency to lead Council discussions with a view to supporting an Ocean Act that gives coherence to EU marine policies, ensures enforcement and enshrines internationally agreed targets in EU law. It also urged Cyprus to secure the implementation of the CFP and accelerate a transition towards low-impact fishing.

Further priorities outlined by the organisation include rebuilding fish populations and fighting illegal fishing, ending destructive fishing in marine protected areas and in deep Mediterranean waters, and revising the Common Market Organisation regulation to require consumer information for all seafood.

Oceana said the Cypriot Presidency will play a central role in leading discussions on how these ocean policies can best be developed and implemented to restore and protect ocean health, abundance and biodiversity, for the benefit of the planet and of coastal populations who depend upon the sea.

At the same time, Cyprus assumes the presidency amid calls by industrial lobbies to undo, delay or block the implementation of key fisheries and environmental legislation.

Oceana warned that, at a time of geopolitical instability, the EU must remain credible and demonstrate internal coherence.

Postponing, weakening or failing to implement legislation aimed at restoring the health and abundance of ocean resources that underpin the blue economy would be short-sighted and would create regulatory uncertainty, the organisation said.

It added that reversing the recovery trend in ocean abundance, achieved after decades of hard work and compromise, would be a strategic mistake.

Facilitating and perpetuating industrial ocean damage under the “simplification” motto would only put European coastal communities at risk and make the Union more dependent on foreign actors, Oceana said.

Facing some of the most rapidly warming marine waters in the world, fish stock depletion and high levels of marine invasive species, Cyprus is among the EU countries most impacted by ocean degradation.

According to the statement, its Presidency of the Council of the EU therefore presents an opportunity to steer the Union towards ocean restoration and recovery, for the benefit of coastal communities and the blue economy.