OPEN LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS HOEKSTRA AND KADIS

NGOs BLOOM, ClientEarth, Oceana, and Seas At Risk call on EU Commissioners to finalize the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) revision to remove fuel tax exemptions and release a roadmap for the decarbonisation of the fisheries sector. The letter argues that current subsidies distort the market, favor industrial fleets over small-scale fishers, and contribute to the release of up to 1 gigaton of carbon via bottom trawling. The authors advocate for a just transition that prioritizes low-impact, artisanal fisheries to ensure energy security and the long-term viability of marine resources.

• Industrial bottom trawling causes significant carbon release into the marine environment, with the practice releasing up to 1 gigaton of carbon annually.
• The EU fisheries sector generates over 7 million tons of CO2 from fuel combustion for sea-based fishing, excluding other processes like transport and cooling.
• Fossil fuel subsidies, specifically tax exemptions in the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD), are identified as harmful because they encourage over-capacity in fishing fleets and the overexploitation of fish populations. In 2021, fuel tax exemptions in France alone totaled €206 million, representing 63% of total estimated subsidies.
• The continuation of fuel tax exemptions in the fisheries sector results in a substantial loss of public income, estimated between €700 million and €1.3 billion per year.
• The authors argue that the current revised compromise text of the ETD at the Council is stalled by Member States, which undermines the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and commitments under the Paris Agreement.

APA

ClientEarth (2024). OPEN LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS HOEKSTRA AND KADIS. https://www.clientearth.org/media/yc4n31yu/letter-to-comissioners_v5.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. OPEN LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS HOEKSTRA AND KADIS. 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/yc4n31yu/letter-to-comissioners_v5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=OPEN LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS HOEKSTRA AND KADIS |date=2 December 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/yc4n31yu/letter-to-comissioners_v5.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2024open, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{OPEN LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS HOEKSTRA AND KADIS}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/yc4n31yu/letter-to-comissioners_v5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }