Commissioner Kadis, on behalf of the European Commission, has defended the economic benefits of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) for EU fishing fleets, while declining to provide information on the final recipients of the access component of EU financial contributions. In a written answer to a parliamentary question from MEPs Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Hermann Tertsch, and António Tânger Corrêa (all PfE), the Commission reiterated that the access component is paid directly to partner country governments and its use falls under national sovereignty, meaning the Commission does not monitor it and has no information on final recipients.
The answer, dated 29 April 2026, responds to a follow-up question (E-001057/2026) in which the MEPs complained that the Commission's earlier reply had failed to address two of their queries: the final recipients of SFPA aid and the impact of financial contributions on the competitiveness of fishing fleets in Spain and Portugal. The Commission now states that it regularly assesses the impact of SFPAs through ex-ante and ex-post evaluations, which consistently show that SFPAs support fleet competitiveness and viability by providing access to key fishing zones, ensuring predictable operating conditions, supporting year-round fishing, and sustaining employment.
The Commission's answer contains no new concrete proposals, numerical targets, or deadlines. It reaffirms the existing policy framework under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Regulation, Article 32(1), and points to published evaluations for further detail. The policy orientation is clearly in favour of maintaining SFPAs as an essential tool for the external dimension of the CFP, balancing sustainability with economic performance for EU fleets.
Institutional follow-up is not specified, but the answer signals that the Commission sees no need to alter its monitoring approach for the access component. The MEPs may pursue the matter further, potentially through additional parliamentary questions or debate in the Fisheries Committee.