In a written answer to a parliamentary question on 30 July 2026, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič defended the EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) provisions that fully liberalise trade in frozen tuna fillets, arguing that the sector had shown no signs of disruption during nine years of negotiations. The answer, responding to questions from Spanish MEPs Francisco José Millán Mon and Gabriel Mato (both PPE), stresses that the Commission carried out a Sustainability Impact Assessment and shared all tariff offers with the co-legislators, and that no stakeholder flagged fillet liberalisation as a problem. Šefčovič also points to a seven-year staging period for tariff elimination on fillets, which he says gives EU industry time to adjust.
The MEPs had raised concerns that fillets are a high value-added segment for the EU fleet, which has invested heavily to meet health requirements, and that Indonesia is one of the world's leading tuna producers. They also questioned whether Indonesian health and food safety standards are equivalent to EU standards. Šefčovič responds that the CEPA does not affect the application of EU health and food safety rules, and that Indonesian products, including frozen tuna fillets, will continue to be subject to strict EU rules and controls.
The answer reiterates that the Commission negotiated tariff-rate quotas for sensitive products such as canned tuna (800 metric tonnes) and tuna loins (5,000 metric tonnes), with strict rules of origin for all tuna products. This follows the Commission's earlier assurances during the negotiations that the balanced outcome would avoid disruptions for EU industry. The answer does not announce any new measures or assessments, but confirms the existing arrangements and the Commission's position that no specific economic impact assessment for fillets was deemed necessary.
The response signals that the Commission sees the CEPA as a balanced deal, with protections for the most sensitive tuna products, while fillets are treated as a non-sensitive category. The institutional follow-up will likely involve continued monitoring of import flows and stakeholder engagement, but no immediate policy changes are indicated. The answer may face pushback from EU fisheries stakeholders who argue that fillet liberalisation undermines the EU fleet's competitive position in a high-value market segment.