Amending Regulation (EU) No 2023/2124 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) Agreement area
A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.
Where it stands: Completed: published in the Official Journal on 4 November 2026 and now EU law.
- ✓ Referred to committee 16 September 2024
- ✓ Committee work Report adopted 16 July 2025
- ✓ Tabled for plenary 23 July 2025
- ✓ Negotiations with the Council Deal approved in committee 3 June 2026
- ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 15 September 2026
- ✓ Published as law 4 November 2026
How a file moves through Parliament
A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.
Who is working on it
- Lead committee
- PECH — Fisheries
- Rapporteur
- Željana ZOVKO PPE
- Shadow rapporteurs
- Thomas BAJADA S&DAnna Maria CISINT PfEGiuseppe MILAZZO ECREmma YTTERELL RenewIsabella LÖVIN Verts/ALEMEP #256961 The Left
The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.
The text, version by version
Committee draft → Tabled for plenary: The new version adds recitals and provisions on recent GFCM recommendations, including on European eel, red coral, blackspot seabream, common dolphinfish and turbot, and drops many recitals on 2023 recommendations. It changes definitions and provisions on catch certificates, designated landing points, data collection, fleet capacity, vessel monitoring systems, and fisheries restricted areas. It removes justifications on freshwater fisheries, internal waters, vessel monitoring systems, FADs and other points. The other changes are formal or wording: updated citations, rephrased provisions and renumbered rows. see the changes →
Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.
Timeline
- Outcome
- 4 November 2026 Published in the Official Journal
The act is now EU law.
- 21 October 2026 Signed by the Presidents of Parliament and the Council
The last step before the act is published in the Official Journal.
- Plenary stage
- 15 September 2026 Plenary voteAdopted Adopted by an overwhelming majorityFor 580 Against 51 Abstained 39
Final vote on the provisional agreement at 13:29 · 87% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →
- 9 September – 15 September 2026 130 amendments tabled for the plenary vote
Groups propose changes to the tabled text; each is voted on before the final vote.
- Negotiations with the Council
- 3 June 2026 Committee approved the deal reached with the Council
The provisional agreement from the trilogues goes to the whole Parliament for a vote.
- 10 September 2025 Plenary endorsed the mandate to negotiate with the Council
Parliament’s negotiators can now seek a compromise text with the Council (in “trilogues”).
- Plenary stage
- 23 July 2025 Report tabled for plenary
This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.
- Committee stage
- 16 July 2025 Committee vote: report adopted
PECH (Fisheries) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.
- 16 April 2025 Amendments tabled in committee
Members of PECH (Fisheries) proposed changes to the draft.
- 25 February 2025 Draft report published
The rapporteur’s first text in PECH (Fisheries). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.
- 16 September 2024 Referred to the PECH (Fisheries) committee
The lead committee prepares Parliament’s report.