Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1342 of 17 June 2026 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/98 on the implementation of the Union’s international obligations, as referred to in Article 15(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries

Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2026/1342 24.8.2026 COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION(EU) 2026/1342 of 17 June 2026 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/98 on the implementation of the Union’s international obligations, as referred to in Article 15(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to 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(1), and in particular Article 15(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Union is party to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), having approved the ICCAT Convention pursuant to Council Decision 86/238/EEC(2).

(2) ICCAT adopts measures to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources in the ICCAT Convention area and to safeguard the marine ecosystems. Such measures may become binding on the parties, including the Union.

(3) Paragraph 3 of ICCAT Recommendation 25-06 amends ICCAT Recommendation 19-05(3) by permitting ICCAT contracting parties who reach their landing limits of blue marlin and white marlin/roundscale spearfish to discard their catches.

(4) To ensure consistency between that Recommendation and Union law, the landing obligation in Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 should not apply to Union vessels participating in the fisheries covered by that Recommendation.

(5) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/98(4) should therefore be amended to take account of the decision taken by ICCAT.

(6) As this Regulation’s provisions have a direct impact on Union vessels and on related economic activities, this Regulation should enter into force as soon as possible,

(1) OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1380/oj.

(2) Council Decision 86/238/EEC of 9 June 1986 on the accession of the Community to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, as amended by the Protocol annexed to the Final Act of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the States Parties to the Convention signed in Paris on 10 July 1984 (OJ L 162, 18.6.1986, p. 33, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/1986/ 238/oj).

(3) https://www.iccat.int/Documents/Recs/compendiopdf-e/2019-05-e.pdf.

(4) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/98 of 18 November 2014 on the implementation of the Union's international obligations, as referred to in Article 15(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, under the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (OJ L 16, 23.1.2015, p. 23, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2015/98/oj).

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/1342/oj 1/2EN OJ L, 24.8.2026

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 In Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/98, the following Article is added: ‘Article 5b Blue marlin and white marlin/roundscale spearfish By way of derogation from Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, once Member States have reached their quotas, all catches of blue marlin and white marlin/roundscale spearfish shall be discarded.’.

Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

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

Done at Brussels, 17 June 2026.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN 2/2 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/1342/oj