According to the European Commission's evaluation, employment in the EU fishing sector has fallen.

Omissions

• The Commission's social report notes exceptions to the overall decline: employment rose in Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and Slovenia.
• The MEP's claim is a direction claim (employment has fallen), which is supported; the quantitative magnitude (about 15% decline 2017–2023) comes from the Commission's first annual social report published on 22 June 2026, shortly before the 9 July 2026 session, which the MEP could have known.
• The Commission's broader CFP evaluation (2025) also documents the declining social dimension of the fisheries sector, consistent with the claim.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu)The report highlights a decline in employment in fisheries across the EU, with a 15% decrease between 2017 and 2023, with the exceptions of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and Slovenia.
• SecondaryEuropean Transport Workers' Federation (ETF)Employment has steadily and worryingly declined, falling from 141,064 fishers in 2014 to 119,479 in 2023.
• SecondaryThe Fishing DailyCFP evaluation highlights social failures in EU fisheries sector, showing job losses, low wages, ageing fleet and falling profitability.
• SecondaryThe Fishing DailyHowever, total fisheries employment has fallen by around 15% since 2017, with full-time equivalent jobs declining even more sharply.
• SecondaryWe Are AquacultureThe report found that employment in EU fisheries declined by 15% between 2017 and 2023, with Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus and Slovenia the only countries to record growth.