StopFinningEU e.V.
StopFinningEU e.V. is a German nonprofit advocacy organization operating the European Citizens Initiative "Stop Finning – Stop the Trade" to ban the EU trade of loose shark fins, backed by 1.1 million verified EU citizen signatures and 100+ NGO partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersRosenheim, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What StopFinningEU e.V. does
StopFinningEU e.V. is a German-registered nonprofit advocacy organization (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2019/2020 and headquartered in Rosenheim, Germany, with a secondary office in Appen. The organization operates the European Citizens Initiative (ECI) "Stop Finning – Stop the Trade," which campaigns for an EU-wide ban on the export, import, and transit of loose shark fins to close the loophole in the existing "Fins Naturally Attached" regulation. Between February 2020 and January 2022, the initiative collected 1,119,996 verified statements of support from EU citizens, surpassing the threshold required to compel an EU Commission response. The ECI was formally submitted to the EU Commission in January 2023, triggering a series of institutional engagements including Commission meetings, an EU Parliament hearing featuring Dr. Sylvia Earle, a formal impact assessment (2023–2024), and a public consultation in which 99% of respondents judged existing EU measures insufficient.
The organization operates with a small team of 7 employees and a broader coalition of 100+ supporting NGOs (including Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, and Environmental Justice Foundation), celebrity endorsers, watersport associations, and diving companies. Its core product is a multilingual (English, German, Spanish, Italian, French) WordPress-based digital campaign platform integrated with the EU Commission's official ECI registry, providing awareness content, supporter resources, and action-taking tools. The business model is purely donation-based via betterplace.org, with no commercial revenue, subscription, or product sales. The organization does not have funding rounds, investors, or institutional backers; it is governed by a board (Oliver Feist as 1st Chairman, Julian Münster as 2nd Chairman) with Dr. Nils Kluger as Spokesperson and Alex Cornelissen (CEO of Sea Shepherd Global) as Substitute Spokesperson. In March 2026, the organization escalated its campaign by filing a formal complaint with the European Ombudsman against the European Commission for maladministration in handling the initiative.
StopFinningEU e.V. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- StopFinningEU e.V.
- Legal name
- StopFinningEU e.V.
- Website
- https://stop-finning-eu.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- StopFinningEU e.V. is a German nonprofit advocacy organization operating the European Citizens Initiative "Stop Finning – Stop the Trade" to ban the EU trade of loose shark fins, backed by 1.1 million verified EU citizen signatures and 100+ NGO partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
StopFinningEU e.V. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Conservation Advocacy
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)
Keywords
Where StopFinningEU e.V. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rosenheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
StopFinningEU e.V. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
StopFinningEU e.V. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
StopFinningEU e.V. operates the European Citizens Initiative 'Stop Finning – Stop the Trade', which campaigns for an EU-wide ban on the export, import and transit of loose shark fins to close the 'Fins Naturally Attached' loophole. The organization collects citizen signatures, coordinates a coalition of 100+ NGOs, and engages EU institutions through hearings, consultations and advocacy to advance shark conservation legislation.
Product overview
StopFinningEU e.V. operates as a non-profit advocacy organization running the European Citizens Initiative 'Stop Finning – Stop the Trade' to ban the trade of shark fins in Europe. The organization's primary offering is its digital campaign platform (the website), which provides informational resources, supporter coordination, and action-taking tools. The platform includes fact sheets, campaign outlines, blog updates, newsletter signup, multilingual content (English, German, Spanish, Italian, French), and integration with the EU Commission's official ECI registry. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or SaaS platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stop Finning – Stop the Trade European Citizens Initiative European Citizens Initiative campaign advocating for an EU-wide legislative ban on the export, import and transit of loose shark fins, targeting EU citizens for signature collection and EU policymakers for legislative action.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,119,996 verified statements of support collected from EU citizens
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use StopFinningEU e.V.
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
StopFinningEU e.V. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
StopFinningEU e.V. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, notable and supporting.
- Seas At RiskcoreStopFinningEU joined Seas At Risk as a new network member. Collaborated on the Blue Manifesto - a roadmap to protect the ocean by 2030, unveiled at EU Ocean Week 2024 with 140+ partner organizations.
- Dr. Sylvia EarlecoreRenowned marine biologist and oceanographer spoke on behalf of 1.1 million Europeans at the EU Parliament hearing in March 2023, lending scientific credibility to the initiative.
- MEP Manuela RipacoreMember of European Parliament who sponsored the Shark Lab event at EU Ocean Week 2025, hosting the event in the EU Parliament and supporting the shark fin trade ban advocacy.
- GreenpeacemajorOne of over 100 NGOs that signed the open letter calling for an end to the shark fin trade in the EU.
- Sea Shepherd GlobalcoreAlex Cornelissen, CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, serves as Substitute Spokesperson for the initiative. Sea Shepherd supports the campaign with operational expertise in marine conservation.
- Deutsche UmwelthilfemajorGerman environmental organization among 100+ NGOs supporting the open letter for EU shark fin trade ban.
- Environmental Justice FoundationmajorInternational NGO among the 100+ organizations supporting the shark fin trade ban initiative.
- Pro WildlifemajorGerman wildlife conservation organization among the 100+ NGOs supporting the EU shark fin trade ban.
- 100+ Supporting OrganizationscoreOver 100 marine conservation and animal welfare organizations including Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Environmental Justice Foundation, Pro Wildlife, and Seas At Risk support the #FinBanNow campaign.
- Celebrity SupportersnotableCelebrities supporting the initiative include Hannes Jaenicke, Udo Lindenberg, Herbert Nitsch, and Shawn Heinrichs, providing public visibility to the shark conservation cause.
- Watersport Associations and Diving CompaniessupportingOrganizations including SSI Scuba Schools International, VDST Verband Deutscher Sporttaucher, Mares, and numerous diving centers support the initiative.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
StopFinningEU e.V. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oceana: International ocean conservation advocacy organization that campaigns for EU and global fisheries policy reforms, including shark and fin trade protections. Closely comparable in mission, EU institutional engagement strategy, and donor-funded advocacy model.
- Seas At Risk: Coalition of marine environmental NGOs operating in European waters policy. StopFinningEU is a network member and co-developer of the Blue Manifesto. Directly comparable in EU-level ocean policy advocacy and coalition coordination.
- Shark Trust: UK-based shark conservation charity focused on science-based policy advocacy for shark and ray protection, including fin trade regulation. Directly comparable in species-specific (shark) conservation focus and policy-driven approach.
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe: German environmental and consumer protection organization that is a coalition partner supporting the StopFinningEU open letter. Comparable in EU and German policy advocacy, legal complaint mechanisms, and donor-funded nonprofit model.
- Sea Shepherd Global: Direct partner of StopFinningEU whose CEO Alex Cornelissen serves as substitute spokesperson. Marine conservation organization with comparable focus on protecting sharks and marine species from overexploitation, plus operational field campaigns.
- Environmental Justice Foundation: International NGO and StopFinningEU coalition partner focused on environmental and human rights advocacy. Comparable in EU and international policy campaigns targeting marine resource exploitation and illegal wildlife trade.
- Pro Wildlife: German wildlife conservation organization and StopFinningEU coalition partner. Directly comparable in species-protection advocacy focused on trade regulation (CITES, EU wildlife trade laws) and German-headquartered policy engagement.
Broad incumbents
- IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare): Global animal welfare and wildlife conservation organization engaged in EU policy advocacy on wildlife trade issues. Comparable in advocacy approach and donor-funded nonprofit structure, though operating at broader animal welfare scope.
- Greenpeace: Major environmental NGO coalition partner of StopFinningEU. While Greenpeace operates across many environmental causes rather than specializing in marine conservation, it shares the same EU policy advocacy model and donor-funded structure at significantly larger scale.
- WWF European Policy Office: European policy arm of WWF engaging EU institutions on marine conservation, fisheries reform, and species protection including sharks. Comparable in EU-level policy engagement and donor-supported advocacy, with broader biodiversity mandate.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
StopFinningEU e.V. social profiles
Digital presenceStopFinningEU e.V. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
StopFinningEU e.V. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
StopFinningEU e.V. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
StopFinningEU e.V. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about StopFinningEU e.V.
What does StopFinningEU e.V. do?
StopFinningEU e.V. operates the European Citizens Initiative 'Stop Finning – Stop the Trade', which campaigns for an EU-wide ban on the export, import and transit of loose shark fins to close the 'Fins Naturally Attached' loophole. The organization collects citizen signatures, coordinates a coalition of 100+ NGOs, and engages EU institutions through hearings, consultations and advocacy to advance shark conservation legislation.
Is StopFinningEU e.V. a public or private company?
StopFinningEU e.V. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was StopFinningEU e.V. founded?
StopFinningEU e.V. was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is StopFinningEU e.V. based?
StopFinningEU e.V. is headquartered in Rosenheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are StopFinningEU e.V.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oceana, Seas At Risk, Shark Trust, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Sea Shepherd Global, Environmental Justice Foundation and Pro Wildlife. Broad incumbents are IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), Greenpeace and WWF European Policy Office.
Does StopFinningEU e.V. have an API?
No public API is recorded for StopFinningEU e.V..
What industry is StopFinningEU e.V. in?
StopFinningEU e.V.'s product category is Marine Conservation Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAE, Marine & Freshwater Conservation, with a secondary code of BPADALAI, Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 9721.