On 20 July 2026, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation deleting point 3.1 of Part A of Annex XIII to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, removing existing fisheries measures for the Northern Midsea Bank (Norra Midsjöbanken) for all EU Member States. The deletion clears the way for a stricter, complete fishing ban in the area, ensuring legal clarity and avoiding overlapping rules.
The measures being removed were introduced by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/303 and had closed the Northern Midsea Bank to all fisheries except pots, fish traps and longlines, with the aim of protecting the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise. On 20 November 2025, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland (BALTFISH) jointly requested the repeal, citing a February 2025 joint recommendation that proposed a complete prohibition of all fisheries in that area under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013. The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) positively assessed the proposed complete prohibition at its plenary of 7-11 July 2025.
The repeal takes effect when the more stringent measures under Article 11 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 apply, ensuring that the new complete ban replaces the existing partial restrictions without legal overlap. The Regulation enters into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The deletion primarily affects EU fishing fleets that had been allowed to operate under the previous partial restrictions (pots, fish traps and longlines). These operators will face a complete ban once the Article 11 measures apply, eliminating their current fishing opportunities in the Northern Midsea Bank. The Baltic harbour porpoise population is expected to benefit from the stricter protection, aligning with EU environmental objectives under the Habitats Directive. National authorities of the BALTFISH member states will gain regulatory clarity, as the new single prohibition replaces the previous layered restrictions. The EU regulatory framework for fisheries management becomes more coherent, avoiding contradictory rules in the same area.