With the Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture now included in the European Commission’s 2026 Work Programme, stakeholders are intensifying their call for an EU Blue Foods Action Plan fully integrated into the Vision. EBCD and the EU Seafood Alliance (Europêche, EAPO, FEAP and Seafood Europe) have proposed working closely together with Commissioner Kadis’ services to co-develop the Blue Foods Action Plan through a genuinely bottom-up approach.
The proposal has already received strong backing from several institutions and organisations, including the European Economic and Social Committee, Members of the European Parliament, and multiple Advisory Councils.
As a first step, the group highlights the need to establish an EU Blue Foods Platform, backed by institutional and financial support to advance sustainability initiatives and foster research, innovation, and sustainable investments.
Participants stressed the importance of better coordination across the Commission, noting that Blue Foods intersects with multiple policy areas: the sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources, maritime affairs, health, trade and environment. Avoiding past fragmentation will be essential to delivering a coherent and future-proof Vision.
Stakeholders stressed that fisheries and aquaculture must be treated as agriculture is – as strategic providers of food, directly linked to food systems, food security and food sovereignty. This is the expectation for the upcoming 2040 Vision.
The foundational and widely recognised unique value of aquatic foods as ‘nature’s superfood’ – a reality that must be actively championed and integrated across all relevant policy domains – was reiterated.
Stakeholders emphasised that the exceptional nutrient density, low carbon footprint, and production in close connection with healthy aquatic ecosystem, underscore why Blue Foods are both a public health asset and a climate solution, while also sustaining jobs, economic activity and resilience for coastal and rural communities across Europe. They warned that fisheries and aquaculture must not be left behind in the simplification and competitiveness revolution the Commission is promoting.
The stakeholder group will continue its outreach, meeting with Commissioners, EU institutions and additional partners to ensure the message is clearly heard: Europe needs an ambitious Blue Foods Action Plan embedded in the Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
