A European Parliament report published on 8 May 2026 proposes significant amendments to the regulation on European fisheries and aquaculture statistics, aiming to broaden the scope to include socio-economic and environmental data while simultaneously reducing administrative burdens on Member States and industry operators. The report, drafted by an unidentified political group, introduces 81 amendments that would expand data collection to cover environmental crimes, algae production, and socio-economic indicators such as gender, age, and income, while also refining definitions and promoting the use of existing administrative data sources to avoid duplicate reporting.
The report, designated A-10-2026-0135, represents the Parliament's position ahead of negotiations with the Council and Commission. The amendments are driven by a desire to balance new data demands with proportionality, with a strong emphasis on avoiding unnecessary costs and workload for national authorities and respondents. Key changes include expanding the regulation's objectives to explicitly safeguard the EU fisheries and aquaculture sectors and monitor progress towards the European Ocean Pact, as well as introducing mandatory collection of data on environmental crimes and serious infringements under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) control and IUU regulations.
New data topics proposed include anonymised statistical data on the reporting, investigation, and judicial stages of criminal offences related to unlawful fishing conduct, as well as socio-economic data (gender, age, education, income) and environmental parameters (energy and water consumption in aquaculture). A new recital calls for basic statistics on algae production to monitor the EU's algae bioeconomy targets, and data on flows in aquaculture is specified to include hatcheries and nurseries.
The report also refines key definitions to reduce burden. The definition of "aquaculture establishment" is altered to include areas defined by geographical coordinates or physical demarcation, shifting the unit of analysis from "establishment" to "company" which may have multiple establishments. The definition of "Union fishing fleet" is simplified, and definitions for "recreational catches" and cross-references to "fishing licence" and "catching vessel" from the Control Regulation are deleted to simplify the text and avoid duplication.
Strengthened safeguards on data collection include tighter conditions for ad hoc data collections, explicitly prohibiting disproportionate financial and administrative burdens, increased workload, unpaid labour, or indirect costs. The use of delegated acts is conditioned on seeking to limit burdens and ensuring cost-effectiveness. A new provision mandates Union financial contributions for technical, digital, and logistical support to Member States, especially in remote and outermost regions, to help meet the new requirements. The Commission (Eurostat) is also tasked with ensuring the consistency, homogeneity, and clarity of published statistics, including explanatory notes on representativeness.
Impact on stakeholders: The amendments would impose new data collection obligations on Member States and industry operators, particularly for socio-economic and environmental data, potentially increasing compliance costs. However, the emphasis on using existing administrative data and digital tools (e.g., REM systems) could reduce the need for new surveys, mitigating some burdens. EU producers in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors may face additional reporting requirements, but the inclusion of socio-economic data could provide valuable insights for sector planning. Environmental NGOs may welcome the expanded scope covering environmental crimes and energy/water consumption, while industry associations may push back on the costs of new data collection. The Commission (Eurostat) would need to ensure consistency and clarity in published statistics, potentially requiring additional resources.
The report now moves to the Council for consideration, with trilogue negotiations expected to follow. The Parliament's position sets the stage for discussions on the balance between data expansion and burden reduction, with the Council likely to scrutinise the proportionality of new requirements and the use of delegated acts.