Stop Finning EU: The Fight to End Europe’s Shark Fin Trade Continues
For more than six years, Shark Guardian has proudly supported the Stop Finning – Stop the Trade European Citizens’ Initiative, standing alongside conservation organisations, campaigners and more than one million European citizens calling for an end to the trade in detached shark fins across the European Union.
The campaign has already achieved something extraordinary. 1,119,996 verified EU citizens supported the initiative, with the required thresholds reached in 15 EU countries. This made Stop Finning – Stop the Trade the eighth successful European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).
But collecting more than one million signatures was never the ultimate goal.
The goal is legislation. And in September 2026, the campaign is entering another important stage as shark conservation advocates once again take the fight directly to Brussels.
The shark fin fight returns to the European Parliament
On 29 September 2026, Fragile Hope founder and long-standing shark conservation advocate Joakim Odelberg is scheduled to speak at the European Parliament in Brussels about shark protection and the continuing shark fin trade.
The meeting comes at an important moment. Despite years of campaigning and overwhelming public support for stronger legislation, the European Union remains a significant participant in the international shark fin trade.
According to figures reported by Fragile Hope using Eurostat data, the EU exported approximately 2,700 tonnes of shark fins in 2025, with a reported value of €44.8 million. Singapore and China were the two largest markets, together representing more than 82% of the export value.
There has been some movement in the right direction. Recent Eurostat figures indicate that EU shark fin export volumes fell by approximately 15% between 2024 and 2025. However, thousands of tonnes of fins continue to leave Europe for overseas markets. For Shark Guardian, that demonstrates exactly why this campaign remains so important.
Finning is banned – but the trade continues
There is an important distinction between banning shark finning and banning the shark fin trade. Under the EU's existing Fins Naturally Attached regulation, sharks caught by EU vessels must be landed with their fins naturally attached to their bodies. This helps prevent the practice of removing fins at sea and discarding the shark's body.
However, once sharks have been landed, their fins can still enter international supply chains. In other words, banning finning at sea does not remove the economic incentive created by the international shark fin market.
This is the loophole that Stop Finning – Stop the Trade is seeking to address. The initiative calls for the existing Fins Naturally Attached regulation to be extended to the export, import and transit of sharks and rays within the European Union, effectively bringing an end to the trade in detached shark fins.
Shark Guardian has supported Stop Finning EU from the beginning
Shark Guardian has been actively supporting the Stop Finning EU movement since its early stages. In 2020, while Shark Guardian was successfully campaigning for stronger shark-fin legislation in the United Kingdom through our Finspire Change UK campaign, we were also encouraging our supporters across Europe to join Stop Finning EU.
As momentum grew behind our UK campaign, which eventually gathered more than 115,000 signatures and contributed to the UK introducing legislation banning the import and export of detached shark fins, we used that momentum to increase support for the European campaign.
Since then, Shark Guardian has continued working alongside Stop Finning EU and other shark conservation organisations to keep the issue firmly on the European political agenda. Most recently, in October 2025, Shark Guardian joined Stop Finning Deutschland, Elasmocean, Sharkproject, Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz, Irish Wildlife Trust, Sciaena and other conservation advocates at EU Ocean Week in Brussels.
Together, campaigners participated in the Shark Lab event at the European Parliament, engaging with Members of the European Parliament, European Commission officials and government representatives and once again calling for decisive action on the shark fin trade.
Campaign Timeline: From one million signatures to European policy
2020: The campaign begins
The European Citizens’ Initiative Stop Finning – Stop the Trade launches, beginning the enormous task of gathering the support required to formally bring the issue before the European Commission. The COVID-19 pandemic made campaigning particularly challenging, but public support continued to grow.
2022: More than one million Europeans speak for sharks
The campaign successfully passes the one-million-signature requirement, eventually securing 1,119,996 verified statements of support.
January 2023: The signatures reach Brussels
The verified statements of support are formally delivered to the European Commission, triggering the official political process.
March–July 2023: The EU responds
A public hearing takes place at the European Parliament in March, followed by a plenary debate in May. In July, the European Commission publishes its formal response. Rather than immediately proposing a ban, the Commission commits to examining whether legislation should be introduced to end trade in loose shark fins, while also improving shark trade data, strengthening enforcement and promoting shark conservation internationally.
February–July 2024:
The European Commission conducts a call for evidence and public consultation, receiving 3,455 responses, including from Shark Guardian, as part of its assessment of potential policy options.
October 2024: EU Ocean Week
Stop Finning EU joins more than 140 organisations supporting the Blue Manifesto and continues advocating for an EU-wide shark fin trade ban.
June 2025: United Nations Ocean Conference
Stop Finning EU takes the voices of more than 1.1 million Europeans to the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, meeting key decision-makers and continuing to push the EU towards stronger action.
October 2025: Shark Lab at the European Parliament
Shark Guardian and partner organisations gather in Brussels during EU Ocean Week to engage politicians and decision-makers directly about the need to end Europe's shark fin trade.
March 2026: External study completed
The external study commissioned as part of the European Commission's assessment is completed. However, campaigners become increasingly concerned about delays in delivering the promised political process.
31 March 2026: European Ombudsman complaint
Stop Finning EU files a formal complaint with the European Ombudsman alleging maladministration by the European Commission in its handling of the initiative and delays in the process.
29 September 2026: Back to Brussels
Fragile Hope founder Joakim Odelberg is scheduled to address the European Parliament on shark protection and the shark fin trade, helping to ensure the issue remains firmly in front of European decision-makers.
Late 2026: A critical decision point
The European Commission currently states that its impact assessment is expected in late 2026. The outcome will help determine what happens next and whether further legislative action will be pursued.
More than one million voices cannot be ignored
This campaign represents far more than signatures on a petition. More than 1.1 million verified EU citizens used one of the European Union's formal democratic mechanisms to demand stronger protection for sharks.
The European Commission has acknowledged that demand. Studies have been commissioned, consultations conducted, trade data examined and policy options assessed.
Now those processes need to translate into meaningful action. Sharks face enormous pressure from fishing worldwide. A landmark global analysis found that the abundance of oceanic sharks and rays declined by approximately 71% between 1970 and 2018, with increased fishing pressure identified as the primary driver.
Reducing the economic incentives behind unsustainable shark fishing must therefore form part of global shark conservation. Ending the trade in detached shark fins within and from the European Union would send a powerful international message.
Our Finspire Change UK campaign helped build the public and political momentum that ultimately resulted in the UK banning the import and export of detached shark fins and products containing them. Stop Finning EU has the potential to achieve change on an even larger scale.
