Eleven conservation entities have united to demand judicial steps against EU member states for allowing harmful fishing inside the bloc's marine reserves.

Although these zones are designed to defend ocean wildlife from such methods, enforcement often proves weak in reality.

The coalition, featuring ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Blue Marine Foundation and Germany's BUND, intends to urge the EU Commission to start infringement proceedings against governments that fail to comply.

Linking separate national lawsuits into one coordinated European plan creates pressure for responsibility that no authority can dismiss, the alliance declared on Monday (6 July), adding that safeguards must function in practice rather than merely exist in theory.

They identify weak enforcement as the core issue rather than insufficient regulations, noting that the EU maintains some of the world's toughest environmental statutes.

Nevertheless bottom trawling with heavy seabed nets continues in numerous protected waters across the bloc.

Several coalition members submitted two formal complaints to the commission last year targeting France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain for allowing the activity inside Natura 2000 sites.

The EU currently grants national fleets free rein to damage these areas repeatedly, stated ClientEarth ocean lawyer John Condon.

The commission has not yet responded to the earlier complaints, so the coalition has adjusted its arguments to align with Brussels priorities on simplification and reduced bureaucracy.

A complete prohibition on bottom trawling inside all protected zones would simplify oversight and deliver one clear rule for every EU fisher while lowering monitoring expenses, the groups maintained.

The commission is reviewing the Birds and Habitats Directives yet campaigners worry the process might lead to diluted protections.

They cite recent court successes in the Netherlands and France as evidence that litigation delivers results.

A Dutch tribunal ruled against unauthorized bottom trawling on the Dogger Bank, an ecologically vital sandbank known as the nursery of the North Sea.

All attention now turns to EU policymakers to follow these decisions, the coalition noted.

93 percent under pressure

The EU has committed to shielding at least 30 percent of its seas by 2030 through its biodiversity strategy and the global Kunming-Montreal agreement.

Around 93 percent of Europe's marine habitats nevertheless face multiple human impacts according to the European Environment Agency.

Commission figures also indicate that 79 percent of coastal seabed suffers physical disturbance largely from bottom trawling.

The coalition's initial year will concentrate on advancing existing legal cases and strengthening connections among lawyers, scientists and civil society groups to initiate further actions.