NCEU Calls for Suspension of Tender for Fishing Areas

The Working Group for Chapter 27 of the National Convention on the European Union has submitted a request to the Ministry of Environmental Protection to suspend the current tender for the concession of ten fishing areas for the period 2027–2036, and to prepare a new tender based on expert analysis and improved nature protection criteria.

It is unacceptable to make decisions on the management of fish stocks for the next ten years without a publicly presented evaluation of the previous period. The current tender primarily scores the number of fishing wardens, vehicles and boats, while actual results in protecting fish stocks and the fulfilment of previously assumed obligations are not assessed as separate criteria.

The Working Group requests that, before a new tender is announced, an evaluation of past management and an assessment of needs for the coming period be carried out, the criteria be improved, and nature protection regulations and policies adopted after 2016 be taken into account. At the same time, the state must ensure continuity in the protection of fish stocks.

Public concern is further confirmed by the initiative “Nećemodati vode” (“We Won’t Give Up Our Waters”), which, according to the organisers, has brought together more than 24,000 citizens and 164 organisations. The initiative’s demands and the data it has collected further underline the need for a transparent review of past management.

Rivers and fish stocks are a public natural asset. Their future must not be decided without expert evidence, public oversight and clearly defined accountability for results achieved.

Working Group for Chapter 27 of the National Convention on the European Union