WE LOBBY FOR YOU

Welcome to EFTTA, the only EU association to defend the interests of the European Recreational Angling Industry and related companies in this sector. We continuously work on your behalf to ensure that the economic, environmental, and social values of Recreational Angling are safeguarded, now and in the future. A challenging task that is becoming increasingly demanding.

Among the many global directives and laws which are constantly being drafted by the European Union - often with the aim of improving the environmental protection - some have the potential to adversely affect the future of recreational angling and thus the entire fishing tackle industry.

This is not done intentionally, but mainly because the executive bodies of the EU are not sufficiently familiar with Recreational Angling and the positive impact angling can have on people and the environment. Angling is a cultural heritage, not just an act of obtaining fish for consumption, but also a way of understanding life through interaction between people and their natural environment. Nowadays we know that this natural cohabitation is beneficial for body and mind.

In addition, there is an increasing awareness that anglers provide an important ‘watchdog function’ as most often, they are the first to ring the alarm bell when an acute pollution incident has occurred, or another, longer-term deterioration of the aquatic environment occurs in a river, lake or at sea. The fishing community also provides thousands of volunteers who throughout the year contribute in various ways to improve the aquatic environment, which would often not be done due to the effects, if that labour power should be paid in full.

We look after the survival of the Recreational Angling Industry

It is therefore crucial that proposals that could be harmful to the interests of recreational angling and the fishing tackle trade sector, are recognized as early as possible, before they come into force. Thanks to our constant watchfulness EFTTA has been able to prevent the EU from making decisions which - today already - would have been devastative for anglers and the recreational angling industry.

Without EFTTA the use of plastic fishing lines and plastic lures would have been prohibited already, just as recreational angling would have been banned from future protected areas!

Despite these positive results we may never forget that this an ongoing process which must be constantly monitored. As a result, EFTTA is extremely vigilant, interacting continuously with the Recreational Angling Industry and the responsible decision-makers of the EU to raise awareness and provide background information when required. We collaborate closely with all concerned parties to find mutual solutions to enable a future in which sustainable recreational angling plays an important role for people and the environment.

Changing an EU law that has already been ratified is almost impossible

That is why it is so important that EFTTA follows the discussions on new legislative procedures very closely - and from its earliest beginning - to be able to respond in a timely and competent manner to threatening developments. With an "ear to politics, the industry and the anglers", we identify tendencies, new directives or legislative proposals that could have a negative impact on the interests of the recreational angling industry and the EFTTA members. On behalf of the European fishing tackle industry we are in direct contact with the EU Parliament and the EU Commission. Along with our own lobbyist in the Brussels office we collaborate with Alienor EU, a renowned and competent lobbying consultancy that represents our interests at the European Parliament. On our behalf Alienor EU meets regularly with MEPs, and organises also events in the European Parliament as part of the "Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment" (RecFishing Forum), set up by EFTTA and EAA, the European Anglers Alliance in 2014.

Effective lobbying is extremeley time and resource consuming

The decision-makers in the EU and member states’ ministries greatly welcome competent and transparent lobbying because they depend upon this dialogue. Moreover, they actively invoke this exchange, which helps them to see from different angles how industry, economy and society are developing, enabling them to better understand what needs to be done to maintain or create jobs, protect the environment, conserve resources. This is where our role as representative of the Recreational Angling Industry and relating companies comes into play.

Facts and figures are the be-all and end-all

Many relevant socio-economic data such as product statistics, turnover or catches, are still rare or non-existent for the Recreational Angling sector. Therefore, one of EFTTA's top priorities is to secure funding for a pan-European socio-economic study on recreational angling that takes place every five years. Such a recurring study would provide the necessary figures to establish statistics, analyses and trends, also allowing us to gain better insight on the positive socio-economic impact of recreational angling on the EU economy. Positive impact not only in terms of money but also in reaching a sustainable Blue Economy. Most people still ignore that the economic value of a fish caught by an angler is 30 to 200 times higher than when the same fish dies in the net of commercial fisherman!

Show solidarity, protect your business: become a member of EFTTA!

If the fishing tackle industry and anglers in the EU stick together, recreational fishing as we know it so far has a chance to survive and sustainably prosper in the years to come. Only together we are strong enough to represent our interests to politicians and the public in a convincing way. For all these reasons, the support of EFTTA by all companies in the fishing tackle industry is essential to safeguard the future of recreational angling in Europe! We appeal to the fairness and solidarity of all companies relating to the sector, to profit not only as a “free rider” of EFTTA’s engagement to protect and promote recreational angling.