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The landing obligation was introduced as an important element of the new CFP in order to end discarding of by-catch. [53] The landing obligation requires that all fish catches must be landed, except when subject to specific exemptions. The ban applies to all species in EU waters that are managed through TACs and quotas and, in the Mediterranean, those subject to minimum legal landing sizes. This new instrument leads to more reliable catch data and thus supports better management. It also serves as a driver for the use and improvement of more selective gear and fishing techniques to reduce unwanted catches. [54]

[53] Discarding is the practice of returning unwanted catches to the sea during the process of being caught. Fish are already dead or damaged; technical restrictions prohibit landing, for example due to undersized fish or no quota availability.
[54] Maritime Affairs and Fisheries online magazine, "Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy: a sustainable future for fish and fishermen", August 2013. Viewed at: https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_ fisheries/magazine/en/policy/reform-common-fisheries-policy-sustainable-future-fish-and-fishermen [October 2016].

Since 1 January 2015, the new policy has been put in place on a fishery-by-fishery basis and it will cover all EU fisheries by January 2019, both within EU waters and in non-EU waters. Time frames for fish species and geographical areas are set out in Article 15(1) of Council Regulation (EU) No. 1380/2013. For instance, as of January 2015, all pelagic fisheries such as for herring, mackerel, and swordfish and fisheries for salmon in the Baltic Sea were covered. Details of the implementation are specified in multi-annual plans or in specific discard plans when no multi-annual plan is in place. The use of undersized fish under the landing obligation is restricted to non-direct human consumption, such as fish meal, pet food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. In order to ensure compliance by the EU with its international obligations, the landing obligation does not apply to fisheries covered by agreements under the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) (only for bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and swordfish in the Atlantic) and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) (industrial fisheries for capelin).

Given that previously discarded fish must now be landed, the CFP provides some flexibility for stocks which are subject to the landing obligation. The member States may use a year-to-year flexibility of up to 10% of their permitted landings. Moreover, in case of catches of species that are subject to the landing obligation and are caught in excess of quotas of the stocks (or if there is no quota), these additional catches may be deducted from the remaining quota of an another stock provided that they do not exceed 9% of the quota for that species. However, this is only applicable when the stock exceeding the quota is within safe biological limits.

The member States are required to ensure that all fishing activities are sufficiently documented in order to monitor compliance with the landing obligation. Monitoring compliance is ensured through various measures, such as professional observers or closed-circuit television (CCTV). The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) requires member States to report on results (number of serious infringements detected and landings subject to physical controls) and output (number of projects on implementing the Union's control, inspections and enforcement system) indicators in their EMFF operational programmes and implementing reports.

The reform has put an emphasis on more decentralized governance by having a decision-making process at national and regional level. The Green Paper that preceded the 2014 reform of the CFP recognized that different regions and communities may require specific local measures: "The current decision-making framework of the CFP does not distinguish principles from implementation: all decisions are taken in Council at the highest political level. This has resulted in a focus on short-term considerations at the expense of the longer term environmental, economic and social sustainability of European fisheries."

Under the reformed CFP, the member States may submit joint recommendations for achieving the conservation objectives of the Union, if certain conditions are met, such as having consulted relevant Advisory Councils. The recommendations must be based on scientific advice and be compatible with relevant conservation measures and/or multi-annual plans. If these conditions are met, the Commission may adopt those measures by means of delegated or implementing acts. As of February 2017, the European Commission had received joint recommendations by three member States (Denmark, Germany, and Sweden) for fisheries in two basins (North Sea and Baltic Sea).

The reform of the CFP requires member States to adjust their fishing capacities to bring them into line with fishing opportunities. The member States are required to submit an annual report on the balance between the fishing capacity of their fleet and the fishing opportunities, using the guidelines prepared by the European Commission. If imbalances between capacity and opportunities are identified, action plans should be incorporated into the report. These reports are required to be submitted to the Commission by 31 March each year, and are made publicly available. A failure to report, or to implement actions, may result in a suspension or interruption of relevant EU financial assistance.

The member States are required to comply with a fleet entry/exit scheme without introducing additional fishing capacity. Departures from the fishing fleet should not be supported by public aid unless fishing licences and authorizations are withdrawn. In addition, when fishing vessels are withdrawn with public aid, their corresponding fishing capacities should not be replaced.

Under the CFP reform, a member State may introduce a system for transferable fishing concessions (TFC), which is a way to allocate the yearly national quotas among fishermen in a given member State. Among EU members, TFCs have been used for example in Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

EU fishing activities outside EU waters are based on the same principles as fishing within the EU. Arrangements for fishing outside the EU are to be developed through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and through Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs).