MISSION & VISION

We get to the heart of Recreational Angling & related politics!


The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) was established in London in 1981 with a clear purpose: to support the European sportfishing tackle sector - the manufacturers and wholesalers, the importers and exporters. 

In 2021, EFTTA moved its headquarters to Brussels and registered as an International Non-Profit Organisation.

EFTTA's support includes promoting and protecting recreational angling activities and the growth of the tackle business. To fulfil this important task, EFTTA works with the European Institutions to ensure that the economic, environmental, and social values of Recreational Angling are safeguarded.
 

Our MISSION


Today, recreational angling is Europe-wide under threats, with potential restrictions coming from various sides, whether ecological or political. EFTTA is in constant contact with the responsible EU decision-makers and works closely with all stakeholders to find common solutions for a future in which sustainable recreational angling plays an important role for people and the environment.

More than 3,000 European manufacturing and wholesale companies trading in sport fishing or related to the recreational angling industry benefit from our lobby work in the EU institutions. As well as maintaining the trade, our work aims to ensure that millions of recreational anglers can continue to enjoy their hobby in a responsible and sustainable way.

Global network for the benefit of the recreational angling industry


To this end, close relations are being established with local trade associations in Europe and other parts of the world, enabling our members to be informed about world-wide markets. In addition to our own lobbyist within the European Commission, EFTTA works closely with our long-standing partner the EAA (European Anglers Alliance), and Aliénor & the RecFishing Forum, both of which are associated to the European Parliament. Bundled synergies make us stronger!

Our VISION


EFTTA is convinced that recreational angling can only survive as leisure activity when we encourage nature conservation and the fight against climate change. Since anglers want to have healthy habitats for healthy fish stocks, EFTTA fully supports und promotes the restoration and protection activities of anglers, players of the industry around recreational angling and other stakeholders for a sustainable environment.
 

Recreational anglers as protectors and restorers of biodiversity


Recent studies have demonstrated that recreational anglers contribute to the protection and restoration of biodiversity, whether it be ethic angling practices to maximize survival rates, knowledge building for data-lacking species, monitoring actions aimed at protecting and restoring aquatic biodiversity. The value of the voluntary activities that anglers undertake out of passion and commitment is inestimable. Many local initiatives are taken by organisations in UK, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and elsewhere in Europe. 
 

Coordination platform


Local actions could be much more efficient if they were collected and coordinated on a pan-European level and communicated in a professional way. To this extend EFTTA will set up a centralized platform with a clear communication structure, tying together EU lobby projects, local actions and impacts in the individual countries.

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