- Start
- Apr 28, 202592% CONFIDENCEfrom demaribus.net
Tribunal Rules UK's English Sandeel Ban Breached EU Fishing Access
- The dispute concerned the UK and Scottish governments' March 2024 closures of their North Sea waters to sandeel fishing, taken to protect seabirds; the EU began proceedings in April 2024 and referred it to arbitration in October 2024[1]
- The tribunal found both closures were based on the best available science and non-discriminatory, and fully upheld the Scottish closure[1]
- It found the UK had not had sufficient regard to proportionality, and to EU rights during the adjustment period, when closing English waters, breaching the UK's obligation to grant EU vessels full access[1][3]
- The ruling, the first under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, was issued on 28 April 2025; hearings were held on 28-30 January 2025 at the Peace Palace in The Hague[2][3]
- On 25 June 2025 the UK told the EU it had re-run the decision with new advice and kept the English closure in place[1]
References 390% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 90%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 3 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%gov.uk/government/news/response-to-arbitration-tribunal-final-report-uk-sandeel-the-european-union-v-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-irelandgov.uk· Posted Sep 27, 2026· Starts Apr 28, 2025· 78% of score
De Maribus[2]: 'On 28 April 2025 an Arbitral Tribunal (Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), Article 740) established in UK-Sandeel ... issued its Ruling'; the UK responded on 2 May 2025.
- [2]92%PCA: Ruling in UK-Sandeel Fisheries Dispute (De Maribus)demaribus.net· Published May 14, 2025· Starts Apr 28, 2025 ✓· 11% of score
Law-of-the-sea blog note dating the ruling: 'On 28 April 2025 an Arbitral Tribunal (TCA, Article 740) established in UK-Sandeel ... issued its Ruling'.[1]
- [3]85%EU welcomes final ruling of Arbitration Tribunal on EU-UK sandeel dispute (European Commission)ec.europa.eu· Published May 2, 2025· 11% of score
The EU's side: the tribunal found the English ban did not comply with the proportionality principle and so breached the UK's obligation to grant EU vessels full access; the UK must comply and report measures within 30 days; the tribunal was established on 18 November 2024 and heard the case on 28-30 January 2025 at the Peace Palace.[1]
Suggest a correction
Something missing or wrong? Say it in your own words: a link that backs this pin up, a different start or end date and why, or a fact it lacks or gets wrong. The AI checks it against this pin's sources, searches for better ones, and adds any page that backs you up. The pin's own sources still count most. A picture that shows something else, or shows it badly, is looked at too, and moved down or replaced.
