Verzoek t.a.v. administratief onderzoek naar visserijvangstgegevens in Nederland

ClientEarth, LIFE Platform and 6 other environmental NGOs raise their voices on the unresolved issues of fish landings control in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has so far failed to demonstrate an effective and efficient improvement of its fisheries control system despite the dispute with the Netherlands since the end of 2020 on weighing issues and despite ClientEarth's administrative request to the Dutch authorities in June 2021 to strengthen controls on vessels landing huge quantities of pelagics in Dutch ports. The NGOs have asked Commissioner Sinkevicius to urge the Dutch authorities to launch a thorough national administrative investigation to demonstrate that the quantities landed and sold over the last ten years correspond to the quantities declared. These catch data are essential to calculate the consumption of quotas and to establish those of the following years.

The structural unreliability of the control system, despite the entry into force of an ambitious fisheries control regulation in 2009, raises the question of the reliability of the catch data and the legality of the quotas allocated to these fleets for years.

This procedure is provided for in the regulation itself.

It is time for the European Commission to take its responsibilities to ensure that the EU rules are scrupulously respected in an identical manner by all Member States and all operators.