The European Commission has as priority at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) annual meeting the Bluefin tuna. In addition to this, the EU will also continue to propose measures for the protection of sharks including porbeagle and shortfin mako and supporting comprehensive measures for the conservation of Blue and White Marlin.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) is holding its annual meeting in Agadir, Morocco, from 12 to 19 of November 2012 with the European Commission's participation. The European institution has as main priority for this year's meeting Bluefin tuna as the multi-annual recovery plan is due for review. The stock assessment for Bluefin tuna has shown early positive signs of recovery although little is currently known about this trend. In May 2012, stricter rules to save bluefin tuna were approved by the European Parliament.

Moreover the Commission announced that at this year's meeting, the EU will also continue to propose measures for the protection of sharks including porbeagle and shortfin mako and supporting comprehensive measures for the conservation of Blue and White Marlin. Another priority will be to further strengthen the management and control system of ICCAT. The EU hopes that its proposals for an in-port inspection scheme and for the traceability of other ICCAT species will be adopted. This should lead to better compliance with agreed rules in the combat against Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated fishing (IUU). Furthermore, by remaining a driver in the compliance assessment process, the EU intends to ensure that rules are properly respected.

ICCAT's objective is to maintain populations of tuna and tuna-like fishes in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean at sustainable levels. The EU is a full member of ICCAT and plays a leading role towards the achievement of its objective. The EU is, therefore, also proposing a reliance on scientific data remains paramount on the EU's agenda and ICCAT must deliver on the Best Science Recommendation adopted last year.