The European Commission has the responsibility to defend the interests of all relevant stakeholders when representing the EU at Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. European retailers, supply-chain companies and associated stakeholders have a vested interest in ensuring the steady supply to the market of tuna that ultimately meets the highest standards of environmental performance and social responsibility.

As such we call on the Commission to address the following, to:

• Demonstrably champion and advance the development and adoption of harvest strategies in order to safeguard a stable supply of sustainably caught tuna as a priority during the 2021 RFMO meeting cycle, including by adopting harvest strategies in tuna RFMOs in which the EU is a contracting party.
• Ensure full and early engagement with all relevant stakeholders when developing the EU position at RFMOs on the different levels where these policies are discussed, including the executive policy bodies.
• Improve transparency and accountability in the way these policies are shaped and implemented in the tuna RFMOs.