Thursday, March 28, 2024

NGOs Accuse EU Governments of Being Opaque Over Fishing

-

A conglomerate of nine NGOs has accused European Union governments of failing to ensure fish stocks are protected.

The groups claimed that more transparency is needed about how funds are used to prevent overfishing and how information is being suppressed without an adequate reason being provided.

The EU Fisheries Control Coalition of NGOs is pushing for environmental data to be made public and removing the power of individual governments to veto this step. This should create more transparency and allow the full effect of fishing to be disclosed to the public.

According to Steve Trent, the founder and CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation:

“Keeping this veto power would be contrary to EU transparency rules around environmental information and citizens’ fundamental right to access documents. Only the European Parliament’s position, which received broad support from progressives and conservatives alike, matches the pressing need for transparency.”

He added:

“Ambition needs to be much higher to ensure transparency and safeguard European fisheries. The audits of national fisheries control systems by the European Commission are not public. If they were, parliamentarians as well as civil society could help identify and address persistent shortcomings in fisheries control. As a result, Member States like Spain and France, which the European Commission recently subjected to legal proceedings after its audits found failures with both countries’ fisheries control and enforcement, could potentially avoid costly infringement procedures. Based on the audits, NGOs, MPs and others could have raised the alarm and helped with solutions.”

Learn more at transparentfisheries.org.

Sam Helmy
Sam Helmyhttps://www.deeperblue.com
Sam Helmy is a TDI/SDI Instructor Trainer, and PADI Staff and Trimix Instructor. Diving for 28 years, a dive pro for 14, I have traveled extensively chasing my passion for diving. I am passionate about everything diving, with a keen interest in exploration, Sharks and big stuff, Photography and Decompression theory. Diving is definitely the one and only passion that has stayed with me my whole life! Sam is a Staff Writer for DeeperBlue.com

SEARCH

CONNECT WITH US

858,282FansLike
108,960FollowersFollow
2,738FollowersFollow
22,801FollowersFollow
13,177FollowersFollow
25,921FollowersFollow
2,531SubscribersSubscribe

RECENT ARTICLES