On 13 July, Virginijus Sinkevičius invited the StopFinningEU team to Brussels to discuss the official response of the EU Commission to our demand for an end to the shark fin trade in Europe. The delegation was assured that the EU is taking the demand of over 1.1 million EU citizens seriously and wants to get the implementation right. For this reason, an "impact assessment" will be carried out by the end of 2023 to ensure that all consequences are considered in advance. This reduces, among other things, the chances of success of legal challenges against new regulations.
This personal meeting has strengthened our confidence in the EU Commission's commitment to deliver on its promise to take action against the mass slaughter of sharks for their fins. We would like to thank Virginijus Sinkevičius and his team personally for the open dialogue and the invitation to this meeting. We look forward to resuming our cooperation and will continue to advocate for sharks at the forefront as part of the StopFinningEU team! A detailed report on the events in Brussels and initial external assessments can be found on the website of the DNR, of which ElasmOcean is a member (click link here).
