​On Monday 26 September, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) will publish a special report on the EU's action to combat illegal fishing.

ABOUT THE TOPIC

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems, undermining efforts to manage fisheries sustainably. The EU is a major global player in fisheries, both in terms of its fishing fleet (with around 79 000 vessels) and as the world's largest importer of fishery products (34 % of total world trade). The EU has been committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goal target 14.4 to end illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by 2020. This target has not been met, unsustainable fishing persists, and there remains a risk that products derived from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing may be sold on the EU market.

ABOUT THE AUDIT

The auditors examined the EU's framework, action and spending aimed at preventing illegally fished products from ending up on EU citizens' plates. In particular, they focused on the effectiveness of:

— the control systems for preventing the import of fishery products derived from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing into the EU, including whether the Commission targeted its actions to address key risks and whether Member States performed effective checks;

— Member States' control systems for checking national fleets and waters, including whether EU funding targeted significant risks and achieved results.

FOR PRESS

The ECA press office will hold a virtual briefing on Monday 26 September. Journalists who wish to participate should contact press@eca.europa.eu for details.

The report and press release will be published on the ECA website eca.europa.eu at 5.00 p.m. CET on Monday 26 September.

The ECA member responsible for this report is Eva Lindström.