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The General Court of the European Union has confirmed that marine protected areas (MPAs) across Europe must be protected from destructive fishing practices, such as bottom trawling.
How did we arrive at this?
Germany and the Netherlands applied to the European Commission for an amendment to a 2017 regulation with new measures on fishing in the North Sea, asking for stronger protections in MPAs. In response, the European Commission conducted consultations with various countries and organisations. Subsequently, revisions were suggested and the Commission adopted new regulations on December 8, 2022.
A German fishing group, VDK, tried to overturn the new rules that restricted harmful fishing in parts of the North Sea.
On May 21, 2025, the court denied the fishing group’s challenge and sided with conservation. The Commission has concluded that countries have every right under EU law to ban damaging practices like bottom trawling in vulnerable marine areas.
Why does this matter?
Bottom trawling is one of the most destructive fishing methods. It involves dragging heavy nets across the seafloor, tearing up fragile habitats and wiping out biodiversity. Yet, it still happens in many so-called marine protected areas.
This ruling sends a clear message: we don’t need new laws to stop this—we just need the political will to enforce the ones we already have.
John Condon, ClientEarth senior lawyer, said: “The European Court’s rejection of the lawsuit against protective measures in the North Sea is a critical victory for marine conservation. Science-backed bans on destructive bottom trawling must be the rule in all protected areas – without exception. Only then can we safeguard Europe’s marine biodiversity for generations to come and provide a sustainable future for fishers and coastal communities.
“This ruling sends a clear signal that we have strong conservation laws for protecting MPAs from destructive activities such as bottom trawling. Now it’s a matter of ensuring that they are urgently enforced. “The upcoming European Oceans Pact is a key opportunity for the European Commission to set out a clear vision and strategy to enforce ocean conservation laws and tackle the root cause of so much marine biodiversity loss in Europe. ”
Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, Blue Marine’s senior project manager, said: ‘The General Court of the EU has ruled that member states can take what conservation measures are necessary to ban trawling and other destructive techniques in vulnerable areas and that these measures comply with EU law. This is good news for our seas because destructive forms of fishing are currently prevalent inside most EU Marine Protected Areas, which is the opposite of what the public expects. We call on the Commission and member states to ban trawling in all MPAs and bring our seas back to health, as the court has clearly said they can.’
What is to come?
The ruling confirms that the EU already has the power to stop bottom trawling in MPAs. With the European Oceans Pact on the horizon, this ruling is a wake-up call. If the EU wants to lead on ocean protection at the global stage, it must act now—the tools are in place. It’s time to use them.
