Transparency in negotiations on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK and stakeholder participation in the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries

Environmental NGOs are calling for the European Commission to ensure equal access for all stakeholders, including the creation of a formal observer status, in fisheries negotiations between the EU and the UK. The letter highlights an uneven playing field where industry members have more access than eNGOs, noting that only the Netherlands and Ireland have opened their delegations to eNGOs. The authors demand comprehensive documentation of negotiations and timely stakeholder consultations to align with the Aarhus Convention and sustainability commitments under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

• Environmental NGOs (eNGOs) currently lack the same level of access to fisheries negotiations as industry members, creating an uneven playing field where access depends on the goodwill of individual Member States.
• Among EU Member States, only Ireland and the Netherlands have permitted eNGOs to join their delegations for bilateral negotiation plenaries.
• The signatories request the establishment of a formal observer status for NGOs and industry stakeholders, similar to models used by ICCAT, OSPAR, or NEAFC, to ensure equal participation.
• The letter argues that transparent decision-making and documentation are necessary to meet obligations under the Aarhus Convention and sustainability goals in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and the Leaders’ Pledge For Nature.

APA

Weiss, A. (2021). Transparency in negotiations on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK and stakeholder participation in the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/o2klhbh1/joint-ngo-follow-up-letter-to-commissioner-sinkevičius_19-mar-2021.pdf

Chicago

Weiss, Adam. Transparency in negotiations on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK and stakeholder participation in the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries. ClientEarth, 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/o2klhbh1/joint-ngo-follow-up-letter-to-commissioner-sinkevičius_19-mar-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Weiss |first1=Adam |title=Transparency in negotiations on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK and stakeholder participation in the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries |publisher=ClientEarth |date=19 March 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/o2klhbh1/joint-ngo-follow-up-letter-to-commissioner-sinkevičius_19-mar-2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{weiss2021transparency, author = {Weiss, Adam}, title = {{Transparency in negotiations on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK and stakeholder participation in the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/o2klhbh1/joint-ngo-follow-up-letter-to-commissioner-sinkevičius_19-mar-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }