A risk of destabilization of the European tuna market, enhanced by the recent increase of US tariff

With nearly 450 000 tons of canned tuna, Thailand is the world’s leading producer and exporter of canned and preserved tuna, accounting for over 22% of global production and more than 29% of global exports. Between 2020 and 2023, the EU imported nearly 40,000 tons of fishery products from Thailand annually—despite current tariffs of 24% on tuna loins and canned tuna. Even without tariff preferences, Thailand remains one of the top suppliers to the EU market. In addition, the additional duties recently imposed by the United States to Thailand increases even more the need for Thailand to access the EU market duty free as well as the risk for EU tuna producers to face an aggressive competition.

Granting duty-free access to Thai tuna products would severely impact the competitiveness of the EU tuna industry.

A European model threatened by unfair competition

In the ultra-competitive global tuna market, the European tuna purse seiner fleet is recognised as a model of sustainability and responsibility. The fleet respects strict quotas, is monitored 24/7 by VMS, systematically embarks scientific observers meaning 100% observer coverage and applies stringent control, monitoring and control regulation. Besides, the fleet’s environmental and social standards are also certified by MSC label, complying with the ILO C188 requirements verified by the flag state, as well as AENOR (APR) and AFNOR standards. Those rules and standards require a high level of investment and make it the most expensive tuna fleet to run in the world. EU vessels have to compete in international waters and markets with non-EU fleets that do not respect the same standards, or even engage in IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing.

The EU tuna sector supports over 25,000 direct jobs across the EU, particularly in regions highly dependent on fishing. These jobs and investments would be put at risk by tariff liberalisation to Thai tuna products. In addition, this would undermine the EU supply chains established with West and East African partners under the Economic Partnership Agreements, including Côte d’Ivoire, Seychelles, and Mauritius.

The threat of low-quality and standards tuna products entering EU supermarkets

Thailand, has worrying structural shortcomings:

• Its processing industry imports whole tuna massively from countries with opaque practices in terms of sustainability and sanitary compliance (including Taiwan, China, South Korea and Indonesia)
• Despite that Thailand has ratified International Labour Organisation’s Convention 188, it has failed to implement it and ratify other major international conventions on human rights and work at sea (ILO C87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise and ILO C98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining).
• The European Commission’s latest audit in 2023 highlighted persistent flaws in health and food safety from Thailand, revealing its inability to ensure standards that comply with European requirements.

The EU and its contradictions: a call for common sense

European fisheries are coming up against the EU’s paradoxes: while the European Union continues to impose increasingly restrictive regulations on its own companies, it simultaneously allows the import of products that do not meet these same standards.

Faced with this observation, Europêche calls on the European Union to exclude tuna products from the draft free trade agreement with Thailand and maintain a strict rules of origin. This will help preserve the European tuna sector and guarantee a level playing field for EU producers.  If that is not possible, as in other FTAs, it would be mandatory to apply strict rules of origin: only for wholly obtained fish, and with no cumulation.

Xavier Leduc, President of Europêche Tuna Group, explains: “Tuna loins and cans processed in Thailand from low-standard Asian fisheries pose a direct threat to sustainable European fleets, which face higher costs due to their rigorous control, social, and environmental standards. A Free Trade Agreement with Thailand allowing duty-free tuna products into the EU would only deepen the existing imbalance, further disadvantaging European fleets and undermining fair competition.”

Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group, says: “Under current regulations, the EU cannot block low-standard tuna entering EU market—but it must not let it in duty-free.”

Press contact:

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director | phone: +33 678 11 63 01 | e-mail: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Thailand FTA

Europêche does not oppose a rational tariff free setting for certain fishery products that are not sufficiently produced in the EU. However, fish stocks have significantly recovered over the last decade, securing fish supply in Europe, whilst maintaining the highest socio-economic and environmental standards.

Precisely, several sustainability standards are mandated in trade agreements with third countries to enable the potential for tariff reductions. However, the ATQ system completely ignores the principle of sustainability. Take, for instance, the tuna industry, where a significant portion of tuna loins are imported from Thailand and China at zero duty. These countries however have a well-documented history of engaging in IUU fishing practices and labour abuses. Europêche argues that the sole motivation behind the use of ATQs in this and other cases is to drive down prices which in turn rewards unsustainable practices and results in unfair competition. Consequently, the ATQ system compels the EU catching sector to lower prices and seek alternative markets. It also disrupts links with longstanding partners from African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) that not only endure discriminatory treatment but also suffer from the loss of valuable market opportunities.

Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared: “We cannot accept that the EU champions products of dubious origin and fishing conditions while our industry struggle to rapidly adapt to ever-stricter sustainability standards.”

According to Europêche, many of the latest European Commission’s fisheries and environmental policies are grounded on the urgent need to tackle climate change and biodiversity decline. However, the sector wonders why such approach is not being applied to the ATQ system. Mr Garat added: “It is shocking that while the EU fleet is decimating due to geopolitical factors and EU policies, ATQ volumes do not stop to grow. We wonder if the idea is to replace EU production with imports from countries far from EU sustainability standards. Is this the definition of food security pursued by the EU?

The ATQ system does not differentiate between fish originating from any country. For instance, high volumes of Russian pollack and cod receive tax derogations. This raises both political and ethical concerns regarding the continued provision of trade preferences to these fish products, especially considering that the EU has severed ties with Russia and even imposed bans on specific seafood imports into our market. Besides, how can the Commission propose bottom fishing bans in the EU while still supporting large-scale imports from controversial non-EU bottom trawling fisheries?

Mr Garat concluded: “Rewarding those who have done little for fish stock sustainability and fair treatment of people, including those involved in IUU fishing and serious labour abuses, with preferential market access is no longer acceptable. The European market demands nothing less than high standards and expects fleets from all countries to operate with the same level of sustainability as European fleets. This is essential to ensure fair competition within the market.”

The EU fishing industry urges the Commission to employ the ATQ system to counterbalance unsustainable and irresponsible practices in the Northeast Atlantic, such as those observed by Norway and the Faroe Islands. Their overfishing of Atlantic mackerel and their continuous challenge to the well-established historical rights of the EU fleet whilst demanding higher access to our market necessitate action.

In this context, it is essential for the EU to utilize trade preferences and leverage its market power to safeguard and advance the interests of the EU fishing fleet within the framework of fishing and trade agreements with third countries. By doing so, the EU can protect the sustainability of our waters and ensure fair competition.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 489 26 81 07 daniel.voces@europeche.org

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – ATQ

The Europêche Tuna Group is comprised of the main two tuna freezer purse-seine organisations in Europe, namely OPAGAC-AGAC and ORTHONGEL. Mrs Anne-France Mattlet has been appointed as its director. She will be in charge of Europêche’s tuna strategy comprised of several pillars: tuna legislation and policy, governance, trade and market, scientific work and the promotion responsible image of EU purse-seine operations. More specifically, she will focus on initiatives such as the revision of the EU fisheries control system, the margin of tolerance and the autonomous tariff quotas for tuna loins.

With over 5 years of experience working on international ocean governance and tuna-related polices within the French administration, Mrs Mattlet has developed an in-depth understanding of fisheries policies decision-making process. She declared: “The EU purse-seine tuna fleet provides a vital source of food, employment, trade and economic welfare not only in Europe but also worldwide, including in developing countries. Operating across the oceans, our vessels comply with the highest standards of sustainability including working conditions, health, safety and hygiene. On top of that, our fleet has voluntarily adopted measures and invested in technology, at their own expense, to ensure optimal data collection. For instance, our vessels have 100% scientific observer coverage onboard and uses only non-entangling devices”. 

Mrs Mattlet is worried that unworkable rules that do not take into account the technical and climatic specificities of tropical tuna fisheries in the EU control system, such as the margin of tolerance, are and would keep penalising the tuna sector. She concluded: “On the market side, we are convinced that the EU should only grant privileged access to non-EU tuna products if they do respect the same social and environmental standards than the EU ones. At present, low standard fish products unfairly compete with our own production in our own market. It is therefore paramount to address policy gaps and ensure an international level playing field, to protect our standards but also to ensure developing countries achieve the same ones, especially through the sustainable fisheries partnership agreements concluded with non-EU countries. We want a sustainable fishery as much as a thriving European tuna fishing sector”.

Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared: “We are delighted to have Mrs Mattlet in Europêche’s team and warmly welcome her aboard. Her experience and expertise on tuna fisheries affairs will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to our companies in the international arena. I’m sure she will take a pro-active role in advocating fishing activities that are carried out in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way”.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Appointment Tuna Group Director