Finland brings action against Commission before EU Court of Justice for reducing Finland’s salmon quota

On 30 June, Finland brought an action against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union. In its action, Finland calls on the Court of Justice to repeal Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/864, which reduced the Atlantic salmon fishing quota allocated to Finland in 2025 due to overfishing in 2024.

The action follows the EU’s decision to prohibit directed salmon fishery in the northern parts of the Baltic Sea, the Åland Sea, the Archipelago Sea and the Bothnian Sea in 2024. The ban made an exception for fishing carried out for the purpose of scientific research. In summer 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry carried out scientific salmon fishing in line with the exception. 

The disputed regulation deducted 3,162 individuals from Finland’s salmon quota for the main basin of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia for this year. The Commission justified the decision to reduce Finland’s quota by stating that, according to its interpretation, the scientific salmon fishing carried out by Finland in 2024 was not in compliance with EU law. 

In its action, Finland primarily claims that the Commission has reduced Finland’s fishing quota for 2025 in violation of EU law, since the future quotas of a Member State may be reduced only if the Member State has exceeded the quota allocated to it. Finland notes that it did not exceed its 2024 salmon fishing quota, having utilised only 69 per cent of it. Furthermore, such a reduction is not possible in a situation where there is disagreement between the Commission and the Member State as to whether the fishing carried out in the Member State was for scientific purposes.

Secondarily, the action takes the view that, in any event, the scientific salmon fishing carried out by Finland in 2024 complied with the conditions laid down in EU law. The reduction in the fishing quota allocated to Finland for 2025 therefore constitutes an infringement of EU law and the regulation must be repealed.

Inquiries: Henriikka Leppo, Director of Unit, tel. +358 295 161 083, [email protected], Prime Minister’s Office