Lack of national political will is driving European seas to the brink

CCB • June 25, 2020

Today, the European Commission published a report assessing the progress with the implementation of the EU’s Marine Directive [1], adopted in 2008. The report comes out just as the European Environment Agency paints a dire picture of the state of European seas in its new Marine report. Marine life, from seabed to sea birds, is suffering: 79% of the EU’s coastal seabed is damaged by bottom-trawling, up to 53% of sharks, rays and skates are threatened by bycatch and marine mammals’ condition has been in sharp decline since 2009.

For 12 years, European countries have had the legal obligation to take all the necessary measures to achieve clean and healthy seas by 2020. It is clear however that EU countries will miss the deadline and fail to meet the legally binding objective. Yet, the Marine Directive is instrumental to achieving the EU’s conservation goals at sea, recently set in the EU Biodiversity Strategy under the wider strategy of the European Green Deal , as well as the EU’s global commitments under Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘Life Below Water’. 

The Commission highlights a number of successes stemming from the Directive, which was at the forefront of the ocean plastic pollution battle, leading to the adoption of the Single-Use Plastics Directive. Many other threats, however, remain without ambitious plans for action by the Member States. The poor implementation of the Marine Directive also means that the Maritime Spatial Plans that countries are now finalising are built on a faulty environmental basis, and that blue growth remains essentially unbridled. 

“Ever since its adoption in 2012, blue NGOs have denounced the inherent incompatibility of Europe’s Blue Growth Strategy with the goals of protecting and restoring the marine natural world”, says Ann Dom, Deputy Director at Seas At Risk. “We are happy to see that the European Commission is also coming to the same realisation in today’s report.”

Seas At Risk, ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic, OceanCare and Surfrider Foundation Europe urge Member States to take immediate measures to address some of the most imminent threats to marine ecosystems , including – but not limited to – stopping overfishing and destructive fishing practices, closing the plastic pollution tap, protecting 30% of EU seas in highly or fully protected areas, stopping the flow of industrial, agricultural and household contaminated waters into the sea, banning offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation, reducing the speed of ships and ending container loss at sea. 

“EU seas are in a dire state, yet Member States keep tinkering around the edges of what is needed to make substantial progress”, says Alice Belin, senior marine policy officer at Seas At Risk. “With the 2020 deadline missed, we expect EU countries to adopt as soon as possible even more ambitious measures to make up for lost time. And if they are lacking inspiration, we encourage them to look at the NGO’s Blue Manifesto [2] the rescue plan to save the ocean by 2030.”   

While an analysis of the failures to meet the law’s objective is welcome, the organisations object to any changes to the law. All indications, including today’s report, point to the Member States’ lack of political commitment as well as cross-governmental and cross-country coordination as the key reasons for lack of progress. This will not be fixed by changing the legal text, but rather by stepping up implementation and taking legal action against non-compliant Member States.   

“Ground-breaking legislation, such as the Marine Directive, is used by the EU and its Member States to showcase the EU’s environmental credentials on the global stage” says ClientEarth’s Marine Habitats Lawyer, John Condon. “But when it comes to actually applying those laws to protect the environment, this report once again shows that EU countries are found wanting. Their legal obligation to achieve clean and healthy seas is not debatable. We urge the Commission to prepare legal action against countries who are failing to respect this important law.” 

“The lack of commitment by all Ministries, not only those in charge of protecting the sea, means that coasts and seas remain plagued by the harmful impacts of ever-growing maritime sectors and land-based plastic, agricultural, industrial and household pollution”, says Nils Höglund, Marine and Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic. “We need cross-governmental task forces put in place to have a fair chance at tackling all the cumulative pressures on our seas and ocean.”

“ The Marine Directive presents concrete opportunities to improve EU waters’ health by taking into consideration local and regional contexts. It provides Member States with an incentive and obligations to address a broad range of major ocean challenges, such as plastic, chemical pollution, climate change, etc. and we are extremely disappointed that so many countries have completely ignored it”, says Antidia Citores, Spokesperson at Surfrider Foundation Europe.

“Quieter oceans through banning oil and gas exploration, which involve the loudest noise generated activities by humans, and by reducing the speed of large shipping vessels are measures that also contribute to climate action. Such measures and their positive impact to reach set objectives are consistent with all agreed policies, so what are most governments waiting for?” says Nicolas Entrup, Co-Director International Relations at OceanCare.

Notes

Contacts

Alice Belin, Senior Marine Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, +32 470 04 82 97 abelin@seas-at-risk.org  

Bianca Vergnaud, Senior Communications Officer at ClientEarth, +32 471 88 70 95, bvergnaud@clientearth.org

 Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, +46 70 867 92 49, nils.hoglund@ccb.se

Antidia Citores, Spokesperson at Surfrider Foundation Europe, +33632689036, acitores@surfrider.eu  

Nicolas Entrup, Co-Director International Relation at OceanCare, + 43 660 211 9963, nentrup@oceancare.org   

Fishing & NGOs:Sustainable herring fishing in the Gulf of Bothnia is strengthened through better knowledge, long-term and ecosystem-based fisheries management, and protection of herring spawning areas

By CCB • May 28, 2026
28 May 2026 - Baltic Sea herring stocks and the herring fisheries have in recent years become a central point of contention in Baltic Sea fisheries policy. Member States' approaches to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommendations for herring quotas have varied, and the public debate around herring is polarised. At the same time, dialogue between groups of fishers and other stakeholders in different countries has been limited, and not all actors have had a clear picture of each other's perspectives and needs. Within the framework of the Fisheries for the Future project, funded by Ålandsbanken’s Baltic Sea Project, Finnish and Swedish fishers, environmental organisations and researchers gathered last autumn to discuss the status of herring stocks and fishing in the Baltic Sea. Participants gained a better understanding of differences between countries and areas regarding stock status, fisheries management and research. The organisations that took part in the workshop all agree on the need for joint dialogue and wish for the cooperation to continue. “ The project combines research and practical understanding of the herring situation in the Baltic Sea. That makes the initiative particularly important, as the lessons learned can contribute to better decisions and more accurate measures going forward ," notes Crista Hietala, Head of Marketing and Communications at Ålandsbanken and the Baltic Sea Project. During the workshop, a shared understanding emerged of the complexity of the issue, where fishing is one factor but not the only cause of the state of the stocks. The need for a holistic approach was emphasised, in which environmental changes and factors affecting fisheries regulation are considered alongside fishing itself. " Herring stocks are affected by a range of interacting factors – from water quality and salinity to changes in food webs and climate change. At the same time, knowledge about how these factors interact remains limited, which contributes to increased uncertainty in management ," says Aimi Hamberg, Marine Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic. More stable quotas increase predictability The predictability and economic sustainability of fishing can be improved by reducing annual variations in fishing quotas. Multi-annual and more stable quotas would facilitate the planning of fishing operations and better secure the herring's central role in the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The fishing and environmental organisations that participated in the workshop propose that EU member states ask the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to investigate how the quota system can be developed in a more stable and long-term direction, while at the same time ensuring the recovery of sustainable herring stocks. More knowledge about herring spawning areas Workshop participants emphasise that a significantly better knowledge base is needed about herring spawning and nursery areas than what we have today. Updated information on the most important reproduction areas for herring is central to marine spatial planning, for example when siting offshore wind power and other uses of sea areas. Towards ecosystem-based stock assessments During the workshop, it was recommended that herring stock assessments should be based on an ecosystem perspective. ” We believe that stock assessments and advice on fishing quotas need to take greater account of changes in central ecosystem factors, such as predation by seals and cormorants. It is important to expand data collection in order to achieve this ," say representatives of Vi Svenska Fiskare (We Swedish Fishers). As a first step, workshop participants recommend that Finland and Sweden initiate a joint regional project in the Gulf of Bothnia, which can later be extended to other parts of the Baltic Sea. Management areas should be reviewed – dialogue on protected areas needs to continue The workshop highlighted the need to review the division of management areas in the Baltic Sea. Participants propose that the Bothnian Sea and the Bothnian Bay be separated as distinct regulatory areas. This is motivated by genetic differences between the stocks and the fish's migration patterns. In addition, participants consider it important to continue the dialogue on possible protected areas in the Bothnian Sea. Such areas could be introduced as time-limited pilot trials, whose effects are evaluated scientifically. The dialogue on protected areas in the Bothnian Sea has continued between the organisations at a meeting held in February. *** Related documents Read the press release in Swedish and in Finnish . Main outcomes of the workshop in Swedish and Finnish. *** Further information The Fisheries for the Future workshop was a collaborative project between the environmental organisation Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and WWF Finland, with funding from Ålandsbanken’s Baltic Sea Project. Among the represented fishing organisations were Suomen Ammattikalastajaliitto/Finlands Yrkesfiskarförbund (Finnish Professional Fishers' Association), Österbottens Fiskarförbund (Ostrobothnia Fishers' Association), Vi Svenska Fiskare (We Swedish Fishers), Kustfiskarna Bottenhavet (Bothnian Sea Coastal Fishers), Ålands fiskare (Åland Fishers) and Sportfiskarna (the Swedish Anglers' Association). Fisheries management was represented by the Government of Åland and the County Administrative Board of Stockholm. In addition, experts from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, the University of Turku and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences participated.

EU fisheries at a crossroads: NGOs warn against reform as Baltic collapse exposes failure to enforce existing rules

By CCB • April 30, 2026
Failure to implement EU fisheries law, not gaps in the policy itself, has pushed the Baltic Sea to the brink. Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) urges immediate action to rebuild Baltic fish populations and restore ecosystems.