As of 3 July 2021, EU Member States have to make sure, through their national legislation and enforcement, that single-use plastic products can no longer be placed on the EU market. The Directive also applies to abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear, which represent 27% of plastic litter items found on beaches. Specific measures are foreseen for these products such as the introduction of extended producer responsibility schemes by 31 December 2024 and awareness campaigns.  
 
A key element of the Directive is the obligation for Member States to collect and communicate “data on fishing gear containing plastic placed on the market and on waste collected” on a yearly basis from 2022 onwards. This should give a better understanding of the size of the problem and inform future EU decisions.
 
As the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association has consistently stressed, data on fishing gear containing plastic and waste fishing gear collected should be reported by weight (rather than by pieces or by volume). This approach was confirmed by the Commission Implementing Decision adopted in May 2021. This information will be crucial to provide adequate solutions to plastic pollution in the aquatic environment with a proportionate approach when it comes to recreational angling gear. Plastic litter from angling gear measured in weight is negligible.
 
Nevertheless, the angling community is already well aware of the problems linked to marine litter and is doing its part, notably through campaigns such as the Dutch campaign “Vang 5” (‘Take 5’) and the Angling Trust campaign “Anglers Against Litter”.