JULY 5, 2023 UPDATE: THE EU FIN CAMPAIGN REACHES NEXT LEVEL

Today the EU Commission delivered its official response to the ECI (European Citizens Initiative) Stop Finning – Stop the Trade.

In it, the Commission acknowledges that through their initial research in the last months, they have determined that the fin trade is problematic and that the EU government must take action. They therefore propose that an economic impact assessment is conducted, that takes a close look at the consequences of shark fishing and potential fin trade regulations, and that will serve as the basis on which they decide what sort of regulation or legislation is needed.

We are very happy with this response since the answer could have just as well have been that it was determined that current rules are sufficient and that all that needs to be done is an adjustment. Our goal is an additional Trade law, not more fishing regulations. Having this response is keeping the door open to get to where we want to be. See the ECI’s official response here.

While this decision to undertake an impact assessment is no guarantee for legislation, it is a necessary step for several reasons. If legislation was introduced without a thorough assessment of industries, markets, and societal impacts, it is all but guaranteed that someone would challenge it based on a lack of preparation. Making a law for 27 countries is no easy feat. Economic numbers must be a known factor and when it comes to sharks, this has never been done. There isn’t a single conservation organization that would have taken that on. But the EU Commission has the capacity to do so.

However, the obvious concern will be that all impacts are equally researched, including social and environmental, biodiversity, eco-tourism, coastal community, and subsistence-level fishing impacts. Because it is clear that the industrial fishing lobby perceives this simply as an impact on their income. This is a critical part of the study that we now must watch out for. So the advocacy work in Brussels and the support from the international community must continue. There are many more hurdles to overcome, but so far, we are doing great in this process.

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It is predictable that some people and organizations will now grumble that this is an avoidance tactic and that they expected a legislative draft, but if you know anything about how the EU works you realize that absolutely nothing of any substance can get done in 6 months. It has to move through the process of multiple Commission Directorates, while also surviving the push and pull from Parliamentary committees, parties, and the council. And focusing on what we didn’t get (because it was unrealistic) will only feed pessimism. No one wants to work with negative and angry people.

Some may be under the impression that there was going to be a law delivered this July. But that would be an unfair expectation of how much power and time the Commission really has.

In the same time frame over the last four months, some of the most crucial proposals for the European Green Deal, such as the “Nature Restoration Law” have been knocked down and dragged out in an epic battle between right and left parties and the Parliament and the Commission. If a proposal that was drafted and promoted by the highest levels of leadership in the EU can get crushed, then we have to count our blessings that we have made it to this point. For now, the doors are open to work with the commission. They delivered on their promise to give us a response by early July. Now the key is to continue to be productive and helpful,  to bring in support, to show that the international community is watching and advocating for sharks, and that we, as a shark advocacy community will persevere through these next challenges.

NEXT STEPS

On July 13 the core team will meet with the Commissioners to discuss the content of the response and the parameters of the economic impact assessments.

In the following months, the Commission will determine the parameters of the study (the who, how, and when). 

As you will see from the dates below, this campaign will require all hands on deck for the next months. There isn’t a lot of time to convince the policymakers in Brussels that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. They must see that the majority of citizens want sharks protected to balance out the strong push from the fisheries lobby that will argue that the shark fin trade must continue to protect the industry. The speakers of ECI “StopFinning, Stop the Trade” are continuing their engagement with the EU Commission and members of the EU Parliament. Shark Allies Executive Director, Stefanie Brendl, is honored to be working for the campaign on-site in Brussels over the next months as a representative of all partner organizations.

Stay tuned to our social pages (@SharkAllies) and those of the campaign (@stopfinningEU) for updates and calls to action. We will give detailed instructions on when to post and what points to focus on, which members of parliament (MEPs) to follow so you can comment and participate in the conversation, and which people to tag. The best thing we can all do is to move in unison and stick to the points that matter. And treat the MEPs with respect. The ECI and our team have been welcomed in Brussels and we are getting a lot of support. Let’s keep it that way. This campaign uses #FinBanNow on all social channels.