New coalition launches to defend Europe’s seas through the courts
Press Release Date: July 6, 2026
Location: Brussels
Contact:
Emily Fairless | email: efairless@oceana.org | tel.: +32 478 038 490
Brussels – The EU has some of the world’s strongest nature laws, but they are routinely ignored: many of its marine protected areas still allow exceptionally destructive fishing. A new coalition of environmental organisations is launching to ensure those laws are finally enforced.
This comes one year after environmental organisations filed landmark legal complaints against six EU Member States for allowing destructive fishing inside marine protected areas, and on which the European Commission has yet to take action.
The Coalition, bringing together eleven organisations, will call on the European Commission to take infringement action against several Member States currently failing to comply with their legal obligations to protect marine ecosystems and will support legal action at the national level.
“Given the European Commission’s new political drive to reduce administrative burdens, prohibiting destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling in EU MPAs provides a clear and straightforward rule for all EU fishers, which would greatly simplify and reduce the costs of monitoring and implementation,” said the MPA Legal Coalition.
The launch comes at a pivotal moment for EU ocean policy. As the European Commission undertakes an evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Coalition argues that the effective implementation and enforcement of these directives will be decisive for meaningful ocean protection. With recent victories in the Dutch Dogger Bank protected area and the Banc des Flandres site, all eyes are now on EU policymakers to take heed of these rulings.
A year ago, members of the Coalition submitted coordinated legal complaints (1, 2) with the European Commission against Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain for systematically allowing bottom trawling and other destructive fishing activities to take place inside marine Natura 2000 sites. Twelve months later, these ecologically important marine areas, so-called Marine ‘Protected’ Areas, remain largely unprotected from the destruction they were designated to prevent.
The MPA Legal Coalition has joined forces to change this reality. By coordinating legal action across the EU, sharing scientific evidence and supporting strategic litigation at national and European level, the Coalition aims to strengthen accountability and accelerate the implementation of existing environmental laws. The Coalition will focus on ensuring that governments fulfil their obligations under EU nature legislation, including the Habitats Directive and broader biodiversity commitments.
“By connecting national legal action into a single, coordinated European strategy, the Coalition is building a wave of accountability that no government can ignore,” said the MPA Legal Coalition. “The MPA Legal Coalition exists to ensure that Europe’s protected seas are protected in practice, not just on paper.”
Note to editors:
The MPA Legal Coalition brings together environmental organisations working to improve the implementation and enforcement of marine conservation law across Europe. Its first year of activity will focus on advancing ongoing legal proceedings, providing input to the Birds and Habitats Directives stress-test, and strengthening cooperation between legal experts, scientists and civil society to protect marine ecosystems.
Its members include: Blue Marine Foundation, Bund, ClientEarth, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Défense des Milieux Aquatiques, Doggerland, DUH, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Manche Nature, Oceana, and Seas At Risk.
The European Union has committed to protecting at least 30% of its seas by 2030 under the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Yet, around 93% of Europe’s marine ecosystems are affected by multiple human pressures and Good Environmental Status (GES) has not been achieved.
Bottom trawling is one of the most widespread pressures affecting marine habitats in European waters and continues to occur within many areas designated for conservation under the Natura 2000 network. Official data from the European Commission show that 79% of the coastal seabed is considered physically disturbed, primarily due to bottom trawling.
