The Bloom association announced in Brussels on Tuesday 6 November that it had turned to the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, “so that she can assess the serious administrative failure of the European Commission in the ‘electric fishing’ case” (see EUROPE 12111).
A press conference was organised by Bloom at the EP in Brussels on Tuesday. It was attended by members of several political groups (Greens/EFA, ALDE, ECR, GUE/NGL). Some members of the S&D Group strongly protested that they had been denied the right to attend the conference where participants reiterated their opposition to electric fishing. In January 2018, a large majority of the European Parliament took a stance in favour of a total ban on such fishing.
The European Commission had one year in which to meet the request made by Bloom on 2 October 2017. Since then, “the illegal status of most Dutch licences and the numerous dysfunctions of European institutions have since been confirmed by a researcher and former jurist at the European Commission”, the association states. It reproaches the Commission for not having followed up the complaint filed, which “is seriously hampering European negotiations on the future of electric fishing”. The Bloom association and some MEPs fear that the negotiations “are moving towards the reauthorisation of electric fishing, which will lead to the disappearance of small-scale fisheries”.
Illegal aid. In addition, Bloom denounces the illegality of public aid granted to industrial ships. At least €21.5 million in public subsidies are said to have been allocated to support electric fishing in the Netherlands since 2007: €14.3 million from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) (between 2008 and 2016) and €6.5 million from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). It was over a year ago that Bloom filed a complaint against the Netherlands for practising this “destructive fishing method banned in Europe until 2006” (after which date exemptions were granted), Bloom explains. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)