EU asks whether fishing crews need common training certificates

The European Commission is asking whether fishers on EU boats should train and certify to a common standard. A Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announcement dated Oct. 1, 2026, opens a call for evidence on that idea. The stated aims are safer work on board and easier movement of fishers between member states. Feedback on the Have Your Say portal runs through Oct. 29. An open public consultation is to follow before the end of the year, in all official EU languages. The Commission will also talk directly with the fishing sector, social partners, advisory councils, national authorities, and training institutes.

The announcement says fishing is among the most dangerous jobs in the EU and that human error is the main cause of serious incidents, with more extreme weather adding risk. Beyond occupational safety and health rules, it says there are no common EU standards for fisher training and certification. Certificates are hard to recognize across borders, including between countries that already set high standards. The Commission ties that gap to crew shortages and to the idea of fishing as unskilled work.

The International Maritime Organization’s STCW-F convention, revised in May 2024, sets training, certification, and watchkeeping standards for fishing-vessel personnel. The announcement says ten member states have ratified it, while 22 coastal EU member states have fishing fleets. Every member state has ratified the matching convention for merchant seafarers, and those standards have been in EU law since 1994. Comments will feed an impact assessment. A possible legislative proposal is planned for the first quarter of 2028. The 2023 communication on the common fisheries policy said the Commission would consider a directive to put STCW-F into EU law. The announcement says the European Parliament, the North Sea and North Western Waters Advisory Councils, and, in July 2026, the EU social partners for fisheries have asked for common standards.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: European Commission — Commission seeks views on common European training standards for fishers (Oct. 1, 2026).