The Regional Coordination Group for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (RCG Med&BS) held its 2026 Technical Meeting from 31 August to 3 September 2026 in Varna, Bulgaria. Hosted by the Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Bulgaria, the four-day meeting brought together 30 RCG members, experts and representatives from relevant European and regional organisations to discuss ongoing work on fisheries data collection and coordination in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
The meeting opened with a review of the 2025 RCG Med&BS Recommendations, followed by discussions on the future vision of the RCG and the chairing of the RCG and its ISSGs for the 2026–2030 period. Participants also received updates from the RCGs Secretariat on the results of the SECWEB 2.0 project, including the new Recommendations and Decisions Platform.
The programme included contributions from STECF, JRC, ICES and GFCM, providing updates on relevant developments and activities in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. A dedicated session also brought together DG MARE, ICES, GFCM, ICCAT, RCG Med&BS and RCG Large Pelagics to follow up on work related to bycatch.
A significant part of the meeting was dedicated to the work of the RCG Med&BS Intersessional Subgroups (ISSGs). Discussions covered a broad range of topics, including end-users, data quality, sampling optimisation, fish stomachs collection and analysis, PETs bycatch monitoring, recreational fisheries, diadromous species, métier and transversal variables, as well as the MEDIAS and MEDITS surveys. The agenda also covered dedicated discussions on Black Sea surveys in Bulgaria and Romania and the SoleMon survey.
The meeting further addressed the development of the regional database and the RDBFIS project, including project milestones, data calls and training activities. Participants also discussed the ISSG Regional Work Plan, received feedback from the European Commission on relevant ongoing work, and reviewed the results of the 2026 Data Call, including the regional analysis of landings data and the ranking of métiers.
The final day focused on discussions within subgroups and the preparation of the RCG Med&BS 2026 Recommendations, bringing together the different strands of technical work discussed throughout the meeting.
During the social dinner, participants had the opportunity to briefly visit a local fishing vessel in Varna, offering an informal glimpse of the local fishing environment.
The RCG Med&BS meeting provided an opportunity for participants to exchange technical knowledge, coordinate ongoing work and strengthen cooperation among the organisations involved in fisheries data collection across the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.
The complete breakdown of discussions, formal recommendations, and agreed-upon decisions will be made available in the official 2026 RCG Med&BS Report, to be published on the RCG website shortly.