| EU’s negotiating position at ICCAT illegal |
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19 November | Press release The European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, has recognised the need to make significant reductions in the amount of bluefin tuna caught in the Mediterranean but the Council has clearly not accepted this. EU law demands that all fish stocks are at sustainable levels by 2020. The Council's position means that the EU is now asking ICCAT to secure only a 30-45 per cent likelihood that bluefin tuna will recover by 2020. This is illegal under EU law. James Thornton, CEO of ClientEarth says: “It is vitally important that the EU complies with its own laws. We are severely disappointed that the Belgian Presidency has failed to show the necessary leadership to ensure the EU’s position at ICCAT complies with its obligations under environmental law. The position the EU has now adopted will undermine one of the EU’s flagship pieces of environmental legislation.” ClientEarth are now calling on the Commission and on member states to challenge this unacceptable breach of environmental law in the European Court of Justice and to protect wider provisions of European Environmental law. James Thornton added: “The EU’s position at ICCAT makes Europe’s ambitions of being a world leader on environmental issues laughable. This decision sets a dangerous precedent for the ability of political horse-trading to override environmental law." ENDS Further information: Media contact: ClientEarth communications office: Notes to editors: ClientEarth is a non-profit environmental law organisation based in London, Brussels and Warsaw. We are lawyers working at the interface of law, science and policy. Using the power of the law, we develop legal strategies and tools to address major environmental issues. As legal experts working in the public interest, we act to strengthen the work of our partners - both governments and NGOs. www.clientearth.org |
