Revision of the EU Fisheries State Aid Guidelines

ClientEarth proposes a comprehensive overhaul of the EU Fisheries State Aid Guidelines to integrate strict environmental and climate protections. The document argues that State aid should be conditional on compliance with EU environmental law and the Common Fisheries Policy, specifically calling for a ban on subsidies for new fishing vessels, fossil fuel energy costs, and harmful fishing gear. It suggests introducing a 'greenwashing test' for sustainable seafood claims and requiring 'climate and environment compatibility' assessments for all aid measures to prevent overcapacity and support the transition to a sustainable blue economy.

• State aid should be deemed incompatible with the internal market if the beneficiary does not comply with all EU environmental law obligations, and any subsequent breach should be treated as a misuse of aid.
• The guidelines should prohibit State aid for the construction of new fishing vessels, including those in the outermost regions, to align with the goal of eliminating subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
• To prevent greenwashing, the document proposes a 'greenwashing test' requiring aid beneficiaries for sustainable seafood to substantiate claims with science, be specific about sustainability benefits, and use non-confusing labels.
• State aid for fossil fuels and the energy costs of fishing vessels should be considered incompatible as it dis-incentivises energy reduction and contradicts the European Green Deal.
• The guidelines should explicitly forbid support for fishing gear that is most harmful to biodiversity, specifically bottom-contacting gear, and reflect the ban on electric pulse fishing.
• The Commission should implement a 'climate and environment compatibility' assessment for aid measures to ensure they do not hinder the European Green Deal or the 2030 and 2050 climate targets.

APA

Druel, E., & Ziegler, C. (2021). Revision of the EU Fisheries State Aid Guidelines. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kmqjxkwd/revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-state-aid-guidelines.pdf

Chicago

Druel, Elisabeth, and Clemens Ziegler. Revision of the EU Fisheries State Aid Guidelines. ClientEarth, 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kmqjxkwd/revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-state-aid-guidelines.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Druel |first1=Elisabeth |last2=Ziegler |first2=Clemens |title=Revision of the EU Fisheries State Aid Guidelines |publisher=ClientEarth |date=September 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/kmqjxkwd/revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-state-aid-guidelines.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{druel2021revision, author = {Druel, Elisabeth and Ziegler, Clemens}, title = {{Revision of the EU Fisheries State Aid Guidelines}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/kmqjxkwd/revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-state-aid-guidelines.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }