The Pew Charitable Trusts

Plastic pollution presents an enormous and growing threat to the health of our communities and ecosystems. Pew recognizes that addressing a problem of this size and consequence is a formidable task. Pew’s evidence-based approach, technical expertise, and experience in plastics policy research can contribute to a clear data-driven process for developing microplastics policy in the EU.

This submission by the Pew Charitable Trusts responds to the European Commissions Call for Evidence on the revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and focuses on how the ecosystem-based approach (EBA) can be clarified and operationalised in practice.

This response from The Pew Charitable Trusts supplements Pew's earlier submission to the CFP evaluation (Jan-Apr 2025). It sets out how the EU's fisheries external action can better align with environmental and social policies, strengthen shared stock management, enhance the EU's role in RFMOs, improve SFPAs, and intensify efforts against IUU fishing. 1) Alignment of EU fisheries external action with other policies.

Removing the requirement for unanimity in decision-making in the field of taxation would go a long way to facilitating the European Union’s ability to show leadership in reaching the EU’s commitments towards achieving the SDGs while proactively engaging in multilateral discussions on global trade.