Policy background The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Coastal State negotiations
International law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA), provides that coastal States control fisheries in their territorial waters and EEZ, and must co-operate with one another to manage shared fish stocks.
	Under the CFP, TACs and quota shares are agreed between the EU Commission (acting on behalf of Member States) and other parties. Agreements are reached, for example, bilaterally with Norway and the Faroe Islands and within Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs). RFMOs are international organisations formed by countries with fishing interests in an area (and driven by obligations under UNCLOS and UNFSA). Some of them manage all the fish stocks found in a specific area, while others focus on particular highly-migratory species, notably tuna.
	The EU Commission leads on all external fisheries negotiations on behalf of Member States. It holds co-ordination meetings with interested Member States prior to and during negotiations.