Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2192 of 6 August 2025 amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards specific technical measures for red seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in ICES subareas 6 to 8

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1967/2006, (EC) No 1224/2009 and Regulations (EU) No 1380/2013, (EU) 2016/1139, (EU) 2018/973, (EU) 2019/472 and (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 894/97, (EC) No 850/98, (EC) No 2549/2000, (EC) No 254/2002, (EC) No 812/2004 and (EC) No 2187/2005 (1), and in particular Article 2(2) and Article 15(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 lays down specific regional technical measures for Union waters in the North Western Waters and the South Western Waters.

(2) Annex VI to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 provides for technical measures for the North Western Waters and Annex VII for the South Western Waters. On 6 June 2025, the South Western Waters Member States Regional Group (Belgium, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Portugal) and the North Western Waters Member States Regional Group (Belgium, Spain, France, Ireland and the Netherlands) submitted, respectively, two joint recommendations requesting to prolong the measures that currently apply to red seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in ICES subareas 6 to 8 until 31 December 2026. The requested measures maintain both the current minimum conservation reference size of 36 cm for red seabream for commercial fisheries in both sea-basins, as well as a closure for vessels flying the French flag in ICES subareas 6-8 from 1 January until 30 June 2025; a closure on a seasonal basis for commercial fisheries and a closure all year for recreational fisheries in specific geographical areas of ICES subarea 8.

(3) Article 18(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) provides that that Member States having a direct management interest in Union conservation measures applying to a particular geographical region, may submit joint recommendations for achieving the objectives of those measures. Article 15(3) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 allows Member States with a direct management interest to submit joint recommendations for the purpose of the adoption of delegated acts concerning regional technical measures set out in the Annexes to that Regulation.

(4) The South Western Waters Member States Regional Group and the North Western Waters Member States Regional Group have a direct fisheries management interest in the South Western and the North Western Waters respectively.

(5) The Expert Group on Fisheries and Aquaculture was consulted on 8 July 2025.

(6) The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (‘STECF’) previously assessed these measures in 2021 that have applied to red seabream since July 2022 and concluded that they have the potential to reduce catches of red seabream (3).

(7) Given that the measures are the same as those that have applied to red seabream since July 2022; that data for this stock continues to be scarce and ICES has issued a zero-catch advice for 2025 and 2026 (4); and that the measures are more stringent than the baseline measures that applied to red seabream in ICES subareas 6 to 8 before the adoption of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/56 (5) the Commission considers that the requirements set out in Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 are fulfilled.

(8) As the measures provided for in this Regulation have a direct impact on the planning of the fishing season of Union vessels and on related economic activities, this Regulation should enter into force as soon as possible. Since the measures to be prolonged expire on 31 December 2025, this Regulation should apply from 1 January 2026 in order to ensure legal continuity.

(9) The measures introduced by this Regulation applicable to Union waters are in pursuit of the objectives set out in Article 494(1) and (2) of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part (6) and have regard to the principles referred to in Article 494(3) of that agreement. They are without prejudice to any measures applicable in waters of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

(10) Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annexes VI and VII to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2026.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 6 August 2025.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 198, 25.7.2019, p. 105, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1241/oj).

(2) Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1380/oj).

(3) Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – Evaluation of Joint Recommendations on the Landing Obligation and on the Technical Measures Regulation (STECF-21-05). https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC126128.

(4) ICES Advice 2024 on blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in subareas 6-8 (Celtic Seas and the English Channel, Bay of Biscay). https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.25019660.

(5) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/56 of 19 July 2022 amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards specific technical measures for red seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in ICES subareas 6 to 8 (OJ L 5, 6.1.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2023/56/oj).

(6) Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part (OJ L 149, 30.4.2021, p. 10, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2021/689(1)/oj).