The European Parliament is currently scrutinising the European Commission’s proposal to restrict lead in certain fishing tackle under the REACH Regulation. This marks an important step in the EU’s efforts to reduce lead emissions into the environment and limit exposure to hazardous substances. However, a sales ban without a use ban won’t deliver the environmental outcomes citizens expect.
A sales ban alone is not enough
As currently drafted, the Commission proposed to prohibit the placing on the market of certain lead fishing tackle. However, it would not restrict the continued use of lead tackle already in circulation by recreational anglers. This raises a fundamental question: can a sales ban alone achieve the environmental objectives that the proposal seeks to address?
By focusing solely on the marketing of lead fishing tackle, the proposal risks creating significant loopholes that would undermine its effectiveness.
Addressing the main loopholes
To be an effective legislative framework, the EAA – and EFTTA – believes that the Commission proposal should also include a ban on the use of the restricted lead tackle.
Such an approach would help address several important concerns:
- Home melting of lead sinkers, which could continue outside any market restrictions;
- Continued use of existing lead tackle by anglers for many years after the sales ban enters into force;
- Illegal imports of leaded fishing tackle from outside the EU, creating enforcement challenges and unfair competition for compliant businesses.
Without addressing these issues, the environmental gains expected from the restriction may remain limited.
In addition, under the EU Fisheries Control Regulation, EU Member States must introduce licensing systems for marine recreational fishing activities. Checks carried out in the context of these licensing systems could also be used to verify whether anglers are using lead-containing fishing gear. Given that Member States will already need to establish and enforce such licensing systems, the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) considers that controls on the use of lead would not require additional enforcement capacity.
Also, angling organisations are conducting license and catch control or educating external controllers.
To conclude, mobile detection devices could support the enforcement of restrictions on lead fishing weights by enabling rapid on-site screening. Portable devices capable of estimating the density of fishing weights could provide a quick indication of whether a product is likely to contain lead. This initial assessment could then be complemented by an on-site chemical verification method, such as the Lumetallix luminescent spray test. According to the European Anglers Alliance (EAA), this combination represents a promising and cost-effective approach to compliance monitoring and enforcement.
Supporting effective and enforceable legislation
The ongoing discussions in the European Parliament – during the scrutiny period – provide an important opportunity to improve the proposal. The objective should not be to remove the legislation from the table, but rather to ensure that it’s coherent, enforceable and capable of achieving its environmental and public health objectives.
Also, the European Parliament was not part of these negotiations but has until the end of July to accept or block the proposed text. The Parliament’s only way to influence the proposal at this stage is to object to the current text and invite the Commission to submit an improved proposal that includes a use ban.
A motion to block the Commission proposal altogether has been tabled in the European Parliament. We share the view that the Commission’s legislative proposal should be blocked at this stage, although for very different reasons. We do not want the legislative proposal off the table. We want the proposal to be improved, for reasons of environmental protection and human health, and to avoid further fragmentation of the EU single market.
Looking ahead
The EAA will continue to engage constructively with EU policymakers throughout the scrutiny process. Recreational anglers have a strong interest in protecting aquatic ecosystems and ensuring the long-term sustainability of fisheries. Effective environmental legislation is therefore in everyone’s interest.
As the European Parliament examines the proposal, policymakers should focus on one key principle: good environmental policy must not only be ambitious—it must also be effective.
