Request for an urgent meeting to discuss the Commission proposal to amend multiannual plans

A coalition of NGOs, led by ClientEarth, is urging the European Commission to withdraw a proposal published on 6 December 2023 that would remove critical safeguards from multiannual plans (MAPs) for the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Western Waters. The NGOs argue that deleting the requirement to ensure less than a 5% probability of stocks falling below the limit level (Blim) would endanger depleted fish stocks and damage the EU's international reputation for sustainable fisheries management. They further allege that the proposal was issued without proper stakeholder consultation or impact assessment and appears intended to legalise an unlawful Council Regulation regarding 2024 fishing opportunities.

• The Commission proposal from 6 December 2023 seeks to remove essential safeguards—specifically Article 4(6) of the Baltic and North Sea MAPs and Article 4(7) of the Western Waters MAP—which mandate that fishing opportunities be set to ensure a less than 5% probability of fish stocks falling below the limit level (Blim) that threatens their ability to replenish.
• The Baltic Sea ecosystem is described as being in severe distress, with several major commercial fish stocks either collapsed or near collapse, while stocks in the North Sea and Western Waters are also severely depleted due to years of overfishing.
• The NGOs contend that the Commission's proposal is an attempt to legalise a Council Regulation for 2024 fishing opportunities in the Baltic that was in breach of legal safeguards, prioritising short-term considerations over long-term sustainability.
• Removing the Blim rule would undermine the EU's credibility in international ocean governance and degrade sustainability standards for the European seafood industry, as maintaining populations above Blim is a global standard for sustainable management and a precondition for Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY).
• The proposal was published without a proper impact assessment or stakeholder consultation, which the NGOs claim violates the Commission’s Better Regulation Guidelines.

APA

Berthier, A. (2023). Request for an urgent meeting to discuss the Commission proposal to amend multiannual plans. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/pxxatj5q/call-to-european-commissioner-sinkevicius-preserve-eu-seas-from-overfishing-do-not-delete-the-last-remaining-safeguards.pdf

Chicago

Berthier, Anais. Request for an urgent meeting to discuss the Commission proposal to amend multiannual plans. ClientEarth, 2023. https://www.clientearth.org/media/pxxatj5q/call-to-european-commissioner-sinkevicius-preserve-eu-seas-from-overfishing-do-not-delete-the-last-remaining-safeguards.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Berthier |first1=Anais |title=Request for an urgent meeting to discuss the Commission proposal to amend multiannual plans |publisher=ClientEarth |date=13 December 2023 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/pxxatj5q/call-to-european-commissioner-sinkevicius-preserve-eu-seas-from-overfishing-do-not-delete-the-last-remaining-safeguards.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{berthier2023request, author = {Berthier, Anais}, title = {{Request for an urgent meeting to discuss the Commission proposal to amend multiannual plans}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/pxxatj5q/call-to-european-commissioner-sinkevicius-preserve-eu-seas-from-overfishing-do-not-delete-the-last-remaining-safeguards.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }