The plan follows similar plans for Sweden, Finland and Lithuania adopted in 2015. It contains measures agreed between the European Commission and the Dutch authorities, following the Commission's audits of the Dutch fisheries control system.

Under the action plan, the Netherlands will work to improve its data management system, so as to ensure that catch data are comprehensively validated and cross-checked. As a result, the data that are used to monitor the catches by Dutch fishermen will become more reliable.

Improvements are also needed in providing information on the official website and in recording and reporting catches in pelagic fisheries.

Dutch fishermen will be the first to benefit from these efforts to stamp out illegal and unrecorded fishing: better enforcement of catch monitoring results in more abundant fish stocks and rewards honest fishermen who play by the rules.

Action plans are a cooperative instrument to ensure that the EU's fisheries control policy is implemented correctly. With their strong focus on cooperation between the European Commission and the Member State in question, they can be highly effective in achieving maximum results in a short amount of time.