Norway and EU strike deal on seafood quotas

Just days after announcing a key trade deal with Brazil, Norway has secured an agreement to sell more seafood into the European Union.

The agreement, which will greatly help Norway’s salmon producers, was reached through the EEA (European Economic Area) which also involves Iceland, another important seafood supplier.

The EU bloc is Norway’s largest salmon buying area with Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and France the main markets.

Norway’s Fisheries and Oceans Minister, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, said the deal provides higher duty free quotas and export opportunities for Norwegian products, both fisheries and aquaculture.

Negotiations on a new period EEA-EU trade relations formally began in June 2022. In June this year, the agreement was approved by the Council of the EU, which represents the member states. The agreement will now be submitted to the Storting, Norway’s parliament, for approval.

The Minister said fixed procedures for enacting the agreement mean that it will take a few months before the industry can start using the duty-free quotas.

She said: “We are in dialogue with the EU to find a solution that helps the industry to draw on the duty-free quotas as soon as possible. This is something Norway has worked for all along.”

However, it may still take some months before the seafood industry is able to activate the new export quotas.

Norway’s Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss