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The document argues that the EU has failed its legal obligation to end overfishing by 2020 and calls for 2022 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) to be set strictly within scientific advice. It emphasizes the need for a precautionary approach, better implementation of the Landing Obligation, and the prioritization of depleted stocks over short-term economic profit. The authors also urge the EU to ensure that negotiations with third parties, such as the UK and Norway, adhere to the sustainability objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The document argues that the EU has failed its legal obligation to harvest all stocks sustainably by 2020, noting that 83% of assessed stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Seas remain overfished and the North-East Atlantic overfishing rate rose to 43% in 2019. The NGOs identify four critical implementation gaps: the need to acknowledge real overfishing levels rather than using misleading metrics, the requirement to manage data-limited stocks according to the precautionary approach, the necessity of using science-based catch limits over 'last resort' remedial measures, and the urgent need to fully implement the landing obligation to prevent illegal discarding. They specifically criticize the Commission for using metrics like landing volumes that distort the status of depleted stocks and for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) that frequently exceed scientific advice, particularly for data-limited stocks.

The report argues that while the CFP provides a strong legal framework, it has failed to meet its 2020 deadline to end overfishing due to Member State inaction, insufficient Commission oversight, and industry resistance. It identifies nine critical challenges, including the dire state of the Mediterranean Sea, poor compliance with the landing obligation, and the absence of climate change considerations in the policy. The authors call for a transition to low-impact fisheries, the elimination of harmful subsidies, and the use of remote electronic monitoring to ensure sustainability.

The document challenges the European Commission's claim that 99% of fish bought by consumers come from sustainable sources, arguing this figure focuses on landing volumes rather than the number of stocks. It cites STECF data showing that 43% of North East Atlantic and 83% of Mediterranean stocks are overfished, and notes that the number of stocks outside safe biological limits in 2019 (17) is the same as in 2013.

The UNEP Regional Seas Programme employs a regionalized approach to ocean governance, coordinating actions across 18 Conventions and Action Plans involving over 146 countries. While it has achieved significant milestones in pollution management and biodiversity conservation, its effectiveness is hindered by political instability, funding gaps, and weak enforcement.

The report examines how fuel subsidies artificially lower operating costs, enabling overfishing and the expansion of industrial fleets at the expense of small-scale fishers and marine ecosystems. It posits that removing these subsidies is essential for meeting EU climate and biodiversity goals, as well as international obligations under the WTO and the Paris Agreement. The author identifies the revision of the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) as a critical opportunity to end fuel tax exemptions, suggesting that resulting revenues and existing funds like the Just Transition Fund be used to support low-impact fisheries.

The report finds that France significantly delayed the implementation of reporting requirements for the landing obligation until 2019 and failed to sanction any infringements in 2017 and 2018. It highlights a lack of effective enforcement at sea and suggests that the adoption of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) is a necessary step to improve data reliability and compliance.

The report examines Spain's compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy's landing obligation, which requires fishers to retain and record all catches of species subject to catch limits. While Spain has introduced guidelines and selectivity studies, the report finds a critical lack of effective monitoring and enforcement. Evidence suggests that reported data for 2017 and 2018—showing almost no infringements and very low discards—is likely inaccurate due to industry resistance and insufficient control mechanisms. The document recommends increasing the use of remote electronic monitoring, improving port infrastructure, and enhancing data transparency to ensure the sustainability of fishing quotas.

The document outlines the accelerating degradation of the Earth's cryosphere and oceans due to climate change. It details the rapid loss of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the thawing of permafrost, and the warming, acidification, and deoxygenation of the global oceans. These changes drive sea level rise, threaten biodiversity, and disrupt essential services like freshwater supply from mountain glaciers and food security from fisheries. The briefing emphasizes that while some damage is irreversible, cutting emissions can reduce risks and facilitate adaptation for vulnerable coastal and indigenous populations.

The document argues that the current European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) primarily supports fishing economic activity rather than environmental protection. It cites severe degradation in EU seas, including plastic pollution and overfishing, and demands that at least 25% of the post-2020 EMFF budget per Member State be dedicated to marine restoration and protection, totaling at least 1.5 billion Euros.

A joint position paper by NGOs urging EU legislators to reform the post-2020 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The authors argue that the fund should shift from financing direct economic activity and capacity-increasing subsidies toward a results-based approach that prioritizes marine biodiversity, strict fisheries control, and a sustainable blue economy.

A coalition of NGOs supports the European Commission's proposal to use scientific 'selectivity performance indicators' to reduce juvenile fish catches but argues that these targets must be made mandatory, expanded to all commercial species, and tied to ambitious timelines. The NGOs also advocate for minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) to be based on the size at first maturity to ensure effective stock protection.

The document argues that the proposed WMedMAP is insufficient to reverse the overexploitation of the Western Mediterranean Sea, where over 90% of assessed fish stocks are overfished. The NGOs call for a transition to science-based governance, including the expansion of trawl-free zones to 100m depth, the introduction of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) to supplement effort management, and the adoption of a more participatory, local co-management approach to ensure long-term sustainability and the recovery of key species like hake, red mullet, and anglerfish.

The report analyzes how different temperature rise scenarios (2°C, 3.2°C, and 4.5°C) affect species richness in 35 biodiversity-rich 'Priority Places'. It finds that while a 2°C limit significantly reduces extinction risks, a 'business as usual' 4.5°C scenario could put nearly 50% of species in these areas at risk of local extinction. The research emphasizes that species dispersal—the ability to move to new suitable habitats—can lower extinction rates, though this is less effective for plants, reptiles, and amphibians. The document concludes that urgent cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions and the creation of ecological corridors and refugia are essential to prevent widespread biodiversity loss.

The analysis finds that heat and cold extremes are warming globally in line with average temperatures, with cold extremes in Siberia and Canada warming particularly fast. Extreme daily precipitation is generally increasing at a rate of approximately 7% per degree Celsius, though regional variations exist. While trends in tropical cyclone frequency are difficult to determine, their impacts have increased due to higher precipitation and sea level rise. Drought trends remain complex and highly dependent on the specific definition used.

The author examines the conflict between 'inclusivist' and 'residualist' definitions of migrants. While the inclusivist view sees all people changing their country of residence as migrants, the residualist view—promoted by the UNHCR—treats migrants as a residual category of people who are not refugees. The author argues that the residualist approach creates a false dichotomy of 'two kinds of people' and may inadvertently harm those seeking protection by suggesting that only 'refugees' are worthy of compassion.

ClientEarth critiques the European Commission's 2017 fishing opportunity proposals, asserting that using FMSY point values as targets rather than limits fails to meet the legal requirement to maintain fish populations 'above' levels capable of producing MSY. The organization highlights a decline in stocks within safe biological limits between 2013 and 2014 and criticizes the Commission's Article 50 report for being misleading and lacking data on biomass levels. Furthermore, ClientEarth warns that quota top-ups for the landing obligation could increase fishing mortality if not strictly based on validated discard data. The response calls for clearer quantitative criteria for socio-economic derogations and a more transparent, comprehensive reporting framework for the landing obligation.

The author critiques the EU's approach to 'irregular' migration, arguing that the contradiction between humanitarian rhetoric and security imperatives is not a 'gap' but a symptom of biopolitical governance. Using Roberto Esposito's concept of autoimmunity, the text posits that the EU's drive for maximal security has created a system that destroys the populations it claims to protect. The author suggests moving toward an 'affirmative biopolitics' through demilitarisation, on-shoring border practices, and creating legal labour migration channels.

The paper argues that the legal distinction between migrant smuggling (facilitating illegal movement for profit) and human trafficking (exploitation) is increasingly blurred in practice, as smugglers often transition into traffickers. It contends that restrictive border controls do not stop migration but instead make smuggling the 'new normal,' increasing migrant vulnerability and profitability for criminal networks. The authors highlight that most irregular migrants successfully reach their destinations despite high risks, and that state efforts to 'demonize' smugglers often serve as political cover for the failure of the global asylum regime.

The document argues that the EU must address the root causes of migration—such as poverty and armed conflict—rather than just symptoms. It proposes four main pillars: establishing a permanent European search and rescue operation to proactively save lives; increasing resettlement places and providing safe, legal access to the EU to bypass smugglers; safeguarding the right to spontaneous asylum applications at external borders while opposing the militarization of migration policy; and replacing the Dublin system with a solidarity-based responsibility-sharing mechanism for asylum seekers.