09 Dec 2025
Photo by Anatol Rurac The German government has launched a €20 million support scheme to permanently reduce its North Sea fishing fleet, acknowledging sustained pressure from declining quotas, offshore wind expansion and marine protected areas. The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Homeland announced the programme will provide public funding to support vessel decommissioning, offering what it describes […]
04 Nov 2025
Photo by David Clode The European Union has introduced new rules to protect the Dogger Bank, an emblematic Natura 2000 site in the waters of Germany and the Netherlands, with a ban on mobile bottom-contacting fishing gear in specific areas coming into effect on 18 November 2025. Protection measures and objectives Starting 18th November 2025, fishing […]
12 Aug 2025
Photo by Engineered Solutions Historic auction failure signals crisis in German offshore wind policy Germany’s latest offshore wind auction ended in unprecedented failure, with the Federal Network Agency receiving no bids for two North Sea sites offering a combined capacity of 2.5 GW. The German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) announced that no bids […]
27 May 2025
Image: EU flags at the European Commission by Guillaume Périgois The General Court of the European Union has ruled that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must be properly protected from fishing practices such as bottom trawling. New regulations had been adopted on 8th December 2022, providing stronger levels of protection. However, the German fishing association […]
19 Nov 2024
Friends of the Earth Germany, Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) filed a lawsuit against the German government to end bottom trawling, which is taking place in the Dogger Bank European Marine Protected Area. BUND – a member of Brussels-based marine NGO Seas At Risk, which is supporting the lawsuit – had already lodged an […]
31 May 2017
Just as Germany break records for its renewables output and UK breaks its solar output record the UK Government show their true colours on climate change trying to weaken European climate change proposals. Leaked documents show UK Government lobbying to weaken EU climate targets despite Brexit Energydesk, Greenpeace ‘On the very day Theresa May triggered […]