Brussels says Tunisia's red shrimp exports breach Mediterranean fishing quotas
The European Commission told the Italian agency Agenzia Nova that the block on Tunisian red shrimp entering the Italian market follows Tunisia's overshoot of the catch limits set by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean: the 36,000-kilogram 2026 quota was exhausted by May 15, while catch certificates validated by Tunisian authorities for the EU market reached 50,960 kilograms, an overrun of some 41.5 percent. The Commission says catches beyond an allocated quota count as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and insists this is regulation rather than a measure aimed at Tunisia; Tunis argues the quota was fixed on incomplete historical data and has asked for a revision using figures it filed in April 2026. A decision is expected at the commission's October session, and until then a high-value export line for southern fishing ports stays shut.