From Euractive Agrifood newsletter, 21 May 2021:
Fishy business: NGOs sent a letter this week to Environment Commissioner Sinkevičius in response to a European Commission representative who stated that “when you as consumers go to your local fishmonger or retailer, and you choose a certain fish, you have a 99% chance that the fish you have bought on that day actually comes from a sustainable source”. The letter argues that this statement is “not only misleading, but far from the truth” and represents a hurdle on the path to improving the sustainability of fisheries in the EU. “How can we ever end overfishing if the Commission acts like this has already been achieved, when according to the STECF the progress is too slow or in some cases even regressing?” the letter questions.
Background: On Monday 10 May, 2021, a European Commission representative attending the Fisheries Committee meeting in the European Parliament made a misleading statement about the sustainability of fish available for sale in the EU. NGOs have written to the Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Director General of DG MARE, and Members of the PECH Committee with our concerns about this misinformation. The EU has a long way to go to end overfishing and greenwashing will not help.