On Tuesday 11 February, the NGOs Environmental Justice Foundation(EJF) and Défense des Milieux Aquatiques (DMA) launched a legal action against France, accusing it of failing to ban bottom trawling in the marine protected areas (MPAs) of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
The two NGOs have appealed to the Council of State for the marine area off the Chausey Islands and to the Rouen Administrative Court for the Flanders Banks site (located off the port of Dunkirk). According to the NGOs, France has failed to meet its obligation to protect the marine environment from damage caused by bottom trawling, which they say “is contrary to national and Community law”.
The organisations point out that bottom trawling is one of the main causes of habitat destruction in MPAs. However, in France, this destructive practice is still carried out in 77% of Natura 2000 marine sites, in violation of national and European environmental law. Over the last five years, 200,000 hours of trawling have been recorded each year in French MPAs, according to the NGOs. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)