Case T-577/22: Judgment of the General Court of 25 June 2025 – ClientEarth v Council (Common fisheries policy – Conservation of resources – Total allowable catches – Regulation (EU) 2022/109 – Request for internal review of an administrative act under environmental law – Article 2(1)(f) and Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 – Objective of achieving a maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate at the latest by 2020 for all stocks – Articles 2, 3, 9, 10, 15 and 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 – Socioeconomic and employment objectives – Best available scientific advice – Landing obligation – Mixed fisheries – Choke species – Precautionary approach – Ecosystem-based approach – Regulation (EU) 2018/973 – Regulation (EU) 2019/472 – Target stocks – By-catches)
Date: 2025-06-25
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: United Kingdom, abuse of power, access to EU information, cooperation agreement (EU), exploitation of the seas, fishery management, fishing rights, precautionary principle, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries








C_202504283EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/4283


11.8.2025






Judgment of the General Court of 25 June 2025 – ClientEarth v Council


(Case T-577/22)
                (1)

(Common fisheries policy - Conservation of resources - Total allowable catches - Regulation (EU) 2022/109 - Request for internal review of an administrative act under environmental law - Article 2(1)(f) and Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 - Objective of achieving a maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate at the latest by 2020 for all stocks - Articles 2, 3, 9, 10, 15 and 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 - Socioeconomic and employment objectives - Best available scientific advice - Landing obligation - Mixed fisheries - Choke species - Precautionary approach - Ecosystem-based approach - Regulation (EU) 2018/973 - Regulation (EU) 2019/472 - Target stocks - By-catches)
(C/2025/4283)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicant: ClientEarth AISBL (Ixelles, Belgium) (represented by: C. Ziegler, lawyer)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: F. Naert, A. Nowak-Salles, A. Maceroni and P. Pecheux, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant: European Commission (represented by: A. Dawes, G. Gattinara and A. Stobiecka-Kuik, acting as Agents)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks annulment of the decision of the Council of the European Union contained in its letter of 5 July 2022 rejecting as unfounded its request for internal review of 25 March 2022, under Title IV of Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies (OJ 2006 L 264, p. 13), concerning Council Regulation (EU) 2022/109 of 27 January 2022 fixing for 2022 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in Union waters and for Union fishing vessels in certain non-Union waters (OJ 2022 L 21, p. 1).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders ClientEarth AISBL to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the Council of the European Union;










3.


Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 472, 12.12.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/4283/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)