12Received 27.04.2024. Revised 26.06.2024. Accepted 29.07.2024.
Abstract. The article examines the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union in the context of its developments at the supranational level of governance. Although the CFP is rarely scrutinized by political scientists, the policy has a considerable political dimension due to states’ sovereign interests in the seas, their connections to the social stability of coastal communities, and the escalating struggle over access to the overexploited marine bioresources. The political basis of the Common Fisheries Policy lies in the principle of relative stability which was established in the early stages of the policy development and represents a political compromise between member states regarding catch shares. The current institutional framework of the CFP results from a recent reform initiated in 2013, influenced by the Lisbon Treaty, and eventually entered into force in 2019. This reform finalized the introduction of the sustainable development agenda into policy, which changes the institutional balance and strengthens the role of supranational authorities. Hence, the Common Fisheries Policy may be characterized as a predominantly supranational policy. Brexit and the increasing importance of the external policy dimension underpin the role of the EU institutions. However, the Council has preserved the exclusive prerogative to set quantitative limits on catches, which prevents the complete communitarization of the policy. In this way, growing politization overlaps with the ever-increasing technical complexity of the CFP. The former stems from the European Parliament activism and the supranational demand for expertise from the industry and expert community. As a result, the Commission empowers subnational actors in order to gain an advantage vis-à-vis national authorities that pursue their own interests over the community ones. Also, the article reveals the functional spillover in action, especially as a result of supranational effort to reach sustainable catches, namely multiannual plans, landing obligation. It requires new policy instruments along with general oversight by the Commission.
Keywords: European Union, Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, multilevel governance, supranational regulation, fisheries, European institutions
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