Speech by Commissioner Kadis at the Agrifish Council: Difficulties in the implementation of the Control Regulation and the use of CATCH

Dear President, Ministers,

The Commission takes the issues you raised seriously and is ready to continue engaging constructively with the Member States concerned, to explore technical solutions that are workable and effective within the existing legal framework, in a transparent and inclusive manner.

I also need to be clear that any possible unilateral approach from a Member State to introduce derogations in its national rules bears a high risk of non-compliance with its obligations under the Control Regulation and the Treaties. Such approach would also undermine the substantial efforts invested by the two co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, as well as the Commission over more than five years of intensive negotiations for the adoption of the revised Control Regulation.

This revision brought the control system to the digital age, with streamlined procedures and more precise control over the fishing activities. Hence, this revision was and remains a major legislative and political achievement. We should not jeopardise it now.

The new control framework included lengthy transition periods, in some cases up to seven years, to allow the sector and the Member States sufficient time to adapt to the new rules.

Workable technical solutions to the issues identified could have been explored within the framework of the Regulation and the powers that it gives to the Commission, while ensuring the integrity of the system and legal certainty to operators.

In fact, the Commission immediately offered its assistance to the concerned Member States and is exploring options that could address the challenges regarding small catches, without reopening the Regulation itself.

We are ready to explore solutions at technical level, within the boundaries of the applicable control framework, and I invite the Member States concerned to continue working closely with my services. But, as Guardian of the Treaties, the Commission can only reiterate the importance of implementing the applicable legal framework.

Turning now to the entry into force of the new EU digital catch certification system “CATCH”, this system is an essential part of the EUs zero-tolerance approach to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and a flagship of the European Ocean Pact.

The EU, as a major global importer of fishery products, has a responsibility and the tools to prevent products from IUU fishing entering its market, which ultimately ensures a level playing field for operators. To this end, the EU introduced a Catch Certification Scheme in 2010. When negotiating the revised Fisheries Control Regulation, the co-legislators, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, agreed to fully digitalise this scheme as of January 2026.

The launch of CATCH has been successful, with more than 1500 importer declarations validated in the first 10 days. Developed in close cooperation with Member States over two years, CATCH fully meets the requirements of the EU IUU Regulation and will continue to evolve, supported by ongoing training, guidance, and system improvements.

Against this background, let me clarify an important point: some of the issues raised today and attributed to IT CATCH, are in fact not a new obligation. They are the result of the uneven and ineffective application of the EU catch certification scheme in its paper format at national level.

Regarding the interconnection between CATCH and the EU Single Window Environment for Customs, I am happy to confirm that despite the legal deadline being 10 January 2028, the Commission addressed relevant concerns, so that Member State customs authorities can implement the necessary interconnection between the two systems from February this year.

As I already mentioned during the Agrifish Council last June, it is the responsibility of each Member State to ensure that their operators are prepared and ready on time to onboard and use CATCH.

The Commission will of course continue to guide and support Member State competent authorities as regards the implementation of the new system. All these efforts and work from the Commission services brought simplification and streamlining of the handling at the customs borders. As many third countries did their work and implemented the system, we should not lag behind from our side.

We will continue to promote the direct use of CATCH by non-EU countries, to facilitate trade and reduce administrative burden. Interoperability is already in place with 5 key partners and will expand further.