Stop Finning - Stop the trade

Submission and examination

The ‘Stop Finning – Stop the trade’ initiative was submitted to the Commission on 11 January 2023, after having gathered 1,119,996 verified statements of support. See press announcement.

The organisers met with the European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová and the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius on 6 February 2023. See press announcement and photos.

A public hearing took place at the European Parliament on 27 March 2023. See recording.

The initiative was debated at the European Parliament’s plenary session on 11 May 2023. See recording.

The Commission adopted a Communication on 5 July 2023 setting out its response to the initiative ‘Stop Finning – Stop the trade’. See press release.

Answer of the European Commission

 

Main conclusions of the Communication:

The Commission commits to:

● Start without delay preparatory work with a view to launch, by the end of 2023, an impact assessment on the environmental, social and economic consequences of applying the “fins naturally attached” policy to the placing on the EU market of sharks, whether within the EU or for international trade (imports and exports).

● By end 2024, provide more detailed EU’s import and export information to improve statistics on trade in shark products.

● Better enforce the EU’s already strong traceability measures by strengthening the enforcement of EU law that applies to the entire value chain - control of fishing at sea, full traceability of shark products from landing to consumer, consumer information, and prevention and redress of illegal trade - and ensuring the collection and reporting of complete and reliable information by fishermen and Member States’ authorities on all these aspects.

● Step up the EU’s international action: advocate for a worldwide ban of shark finning and strengthen the effective implementation of conservation and management measures for sharks’ species; encourage the reduction of demand for shark fins; and fight against shark fins trafficking.

 

On 13 July 2023, Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius met with the organisers of ‘Stop Finning - Stop the trade' to discuss the Commission’s reply to the initiative.

Follow-up

Detailed information can be found on the progress page for this initiative, included in the general EU sharks’ protection and management page.