Italy and allies stop the cut in fishing days proposed by the EU Commission for 2026

"Good news today for our fishermen. They will not suffer any cuts to their fishing days in 2026. After more than 40 hours of negotiations, we have averted the European Commission's nonsensical proposals to cut our fishing vessels' days at sea by more than half," he said. With these words, Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, announced via Facebook that next year there will be no dreaded reduction in fishing days, which would have brought the peninsula's fishing fleets and the economic viability of entire districts to their knees.

"Compared to last year, we have improved the working conditions of the Italian fleets. The Commission's proposal was passed unanimously by the Member States representing the will of the people," the minister emphasised. Thus EU President Ursula Von der Leyen's plan to reduce the activity of trawlers by 64% has been fully rejected, while the principle of balance between environmental sustainability and economic and social sustainability has been put back at the centre. The Agrifish Council, thanks to the agreement between Italy, Spain and France who presented a united document, achieved the result by putting two measures on the table: the biological closure and the ban on scrapping put in place by Italy. On average, a boat worked for 120 days this year, with a continuous 60-day stoppage for the protection of resources, while in 2026 it would go out to sea for around 50 days.

"When the sectoris listened to and supported, it is possible to reconcile the protection of fish stocks and the future of businesses," commented Daniela Borriello, Coldiretti Pesca's national manager. "We have managed to stop proposals without common sense that would have irreversibly penalised our fishing communities. A pragmatic vision prevailed, built through the commitment of the ministry and the joint work of the fishing organisations. When Italy is a team in Europe, the results come". Coldiretti Pesca reiterates the need to continue along this line also in the next European appointments, so that the common policies on fishing take into account the specificities of the Mediterranean and the economic, social and environmental value of the communities that live off the sea. A chain that, according to Coldiretti's data, counts about 12 thousand boats in Italy for a total turnover of just under 750 million.

"With the new rules, an economic damage estimated at over 300 million a year has been averted," adds Paolo Tiozzo, vice-president of Confcooperative Fedagripesca, speaking of a result achieved that "makes it possible to guarantee continuity and production stability also for 2026, averting a very hard blow to thousands of companies, workers and entire coastal communities.

If the Commission's proposal had passed, dependence on foreign countries would have skyrocketed. Tonnes of shellfish and frozen fish have long been arriving from the Far East. Again according to Coldiretti Pesca, the cut in days would have brought hundreds of fishing companies to their knees, the economy of coastal areas and consumers' access to fresh national fish of certified quality, opening the door to further imports. It is no coincidence that foreign dependence for fish has skyrocketed from 30% to 85% in the last forty years, as Coldiretti Pesca's analysis shows.