Five environmental organizations have filed a legal complaint with the European Commission, accusing France, Germany, and Italy of failing to protect marine ecosystems from destructive fishing practices.

The complaint, submitted on April 29, 2025, highlights that these countries are violating EU law by not adequately safeguarding vulnerable marine areas.

Deep-sea bottom trawling, a method that severely damages the seabed and marine life, is prevalent in protected areas, affecting 77% of France's, 85% of Germany's, and 44% of Italy's marine Natura 2000 sites.

The organizations emphasize that their complaint targets 15 specific Natura 2000 sites where industrial-scale bottom trawling is harming sensitive habitats such as reefs and seagrass beds.

NGOs argue that bottom trawling poses the greatest threat to North Sea habitats and has significantly impacted fish stocks in the Baltic Sea, yet authorities have not taken sufficient action.

Despite acknowledging last year that deep-sea trawling is a major cause of habitat degradation in the North Sea, German authorities have failed to implement necessary measures.

In response to these concerns, the EU has committed to phasing out bottom fishing in all marine protected areas by 2030 as part of its Biodiversity Strategy.

The timing of the complaint coincides with the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, scheduled for June 2025, aiming to raise awareness about the impact of deep-sea trawling.

Marie Colombier from the Environmental Justice Foundation stated that the complaint serves as a strategic move to highlight the scale of the problem, despite the lengthy EU procedural process.

The European Commission has one year to respond to the complaint, which could lead to infringement proceedings against the member states or result in the case being closed.

Ongoing national legal actions against bottom trawling are taking place in France and Germany, with ClientEarth pursuing similar actions in the Netherlands and Spain.

Europeche, representing the EU fishing industry, expressed regret over the complaint, advocating for site-specific studies instead of blanket bans on bottom trawling in marine protected areas.