#Fishing - Calls from over 175,000 EU citizens to demand an end to overfishing and protection of European waters took place as EU environment ministers gathered in Bulgaria last week.

As the Green News reports, Environmental NGOs, Our Fish, Seas at Risk and WeMove.EU delivered the petition with over 175,000 signatures to Sweden’s Secretary for Environment Per Ängquist.

Environmental campaigners also held a demonstration outside Sofia’s National Palace of Culture where the ministers held their meeting.

The signatories have called on all EU Environment Ministers for more effective implementation of Europe’s water protection legislation and to meet EU’s target of ending overfishing by 2020.

According to recent reports by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), Ireland is one of the worst EU states regarding overfishing in the Atlantic and is undermining global efforts to tackle the issue.

NEF conducts research on sustainable economics and analysing the result of EU marine ministers’ closed-door negotiations for setting fishing quotas.

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