FRUCOM Working Group on Processed Fruit and Vegetables and Processed Fishery Products, 16 March 2026

Published by SIPA

On 16 March 2026 SIPA attended the annual meeting of the FRUCOM Working Group on Processed Fruit and Vegetables and Processed Fishery Products. (Agenda here.) Below are the notes from the meeting.

 

Speakers: Kinga Malinowska-Facci (DG MARE B.3), Mariana Corte-Real, Pavlina Nikolova (DG MARE B.4), FRUCOM Secretariat (João Pereira).

1. Trade with third countries and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

  • India: The EU/India agreement was concluded in January 2026 and is currently undergoing legal review and translation. Fast-tracking through Parliament is expected. While tariff schedules are still being finalised, most Chapter 3 products are expected to be liberalised upon entry into force of the agreement
  • Indonesia: The agreement was finalised in September 2025. It includes tuna, sardine and surimi tariff-free quotas.
  • Thailand and Philippines: Negotiations are ongoing with positive engagement reported for both countries.
  • United States: A deal with the US in the summer allowed the EU to benefit from an advantageous tariff of 15%. This required the EU to implement an extension of the “lobster deal”, which allows duty-free imports of US lobsters into the EU. However, the US recently cancelled emergency tariffs and intends to reconstruct them on the basis of “Section 301”, targeting “unfair treatment” related to industrial overcapacity and alleged forced labour. The EU is collaborating with the US to address the overproduction concerns.

2. ATQs, GSP and regional updates

  • Autonomous Tariff Quotas (ATQs): An evaluation is currently underway in the Commission to assess the balance between ATQ regime priorities and the need for greater sustainability in seafood imports.
  • Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP): The new regulation is expected to be finalised by mid-2026, entering into force in January 2027. Countries currently using GSP+, such as the Philippines, will retain their benefits until 2028.
  • Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA): All Member States hare approved to export fish to the USA, including Irish salmon, which received approval just last week.
  • Morocco & Russia: No new updates were provided regarding the state of play for either country.

3. CATCH implementation and digitalization

  • System status: Since January 10, 2026, the digital CATCH system has been mandatory for all fishery imports covered by the IUU Regulation. Over 21,000 importer declarations have been validated to date, with a weekly validation rate of 2,500–3,000.
  • Technical challenges:
    • The system relies on absolute accuracy. Multiple data re-entries remain a burden for operators.
    • The system currently struggles with consignments containing >24 certificates, resulting in held containers. One delegate reported that 39 tuna containers were currently on hold because the CATCH system can’t handle a large number of catch certificates per consignment. A software patch due to be implemented on 23rd March will increase the certificate limit to 40 per consignment.
    • The patch will also introduce a “Copy as new” function to reduce data entry, and it will improve certificate number formatting.
  • System interoperability: Interoperability now exists between the CATCH system and the certification systems of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands and New Zealand. This accounts for 30% of imports. The UK has partial interoperability and will have full interoperability in March. Japan is set to join in January 2027, while India and several African/South American nations are in various stages of engagement.
  • Enforcement: National authorities have been advised to stop accepting paper certificates (unless the CATCH system is confirmed unavailable). If suppliers refuse to comply with digital requirements, importers are advised that consignments will be rejected
  • “Ambassadors of CATCH”: Importers were urged to educate their third-country suppliers on new requirements, the expanded catch certificate, the new non-manipulation document and on the advantages of achieving interoperability with CATCH IT.

4. Regulatory and food safety updates (FRUCOM update) (slides available here)

  • Antimicrobial medicinal products: Regarding the lists of countries approved to export aquaculture product from 3 September 2026 onwards, the Commission has advised that it is not currently asking India or Indonesia for further guarantees. While we can infer that the Commission is satisfied with the guarantees that these 2 countries have provided, we can’t be certain that they are on the country list until the update to the Regulation is published later this year.
  • Contaminants: The FRUCOM Secretariat provided updates on legislation covering mineral oils, mercury, PFAS, and BPA.