According to the European Commission's evaluation, the EU's dependence on fish imports has increased.

Omissions

• The 'increase in import dependence' describes a long-term trend: self-sufficiency declined from ~46% (2011) to 37.5% (2022), but in 2023 it rose marginally to ~38.1% (its first increase since 2018), so dependence does not increase every single year.
• Magnitudes vary by metric and source: minimum EU import dependence for 2023 was put at ~62% of total supply (EU Seafood Supply Synopsis 2024), ~70% of consumption per the EU industry association, and 'over 80% of what they eat' in the LIFE Platform summary of the Commission evaluation.
• The attribution to the Commission's evaluation is supported by a secondary summary of the evaluation report (LIFE Platform) and by the Commission's own evaluation support study (self-sufficiency rate data), rather than by the full primary Commission report text retrieved directly.
• No source published before or on the session date (2026-07-09) that directly contradicts the trend was found.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Data collection and analysis supporting the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation (HZ0126083ENN)Figure 37 - Self-sufficiency (SS) rate for fishing and aquaculture products in [the EU] — the Commission's evaluation support study documents the self-sufficiency (import dependence) trend for EU fisheries.
• SecondaryLIFE Platform — Common Fisheries Policy Evaluation Report: Must Do BetterAs a result less fish is being landed into European ports, with an increasing dependence on fish imports to meet consumption demands. Overall, declared landings are down by around 30% compared to 2014, whilst European consumers rely on imports for over 80% of what they eat.
• SecondaryEuropean Parliament study — Assessing the impact of seafood imports on EU self-sufficiency (CASP_STU(2026)759344)EU seafood self-sufficiency has declined steadily, reaching 37.5% in 2022. ... According to the EU Seafood Supply Synopsis 2024, the minimum EU import dependence rate for 2023 was approximately 62% of total supply. ... Table 1 shows the decline in overall EU self-sufficiency from 46% down to 38%.
• SecondaryEuropeche — Missed opportunity to overhaul the Common Fisheries PolicyAs regards main fisheries trends, the EU is increasingly dependent on seafood products imported from 3rd countries (70% of total EU-seafood consumption)
• SecondaryEuropean Parliament research4committees blog — Assessing the impact of seafood imports on EU self-sufficiencyEU seafood self-sufficiency has declined steadily, reaching 37.5% in 2022. This figure hides greater dependence, as much of the EU's pelagic [landings are exported/processed abroad].