European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 14 October 2014:
In its fight against illegal
fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has today proposed
to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka
to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. The
move comes after four years of intense dialogue with the country after
which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal,
unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In contrast, the Commission
today confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu,
which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have
successfully taken measures to tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the
Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this
year against Belize.
European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, said: "Our
policy of resolute cooperation is yielding results. Five countries
receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Sri Lanka. I hope that the
message we are sending today will be a wake-up call for this country."
Sri Lanka needs to address illegal fishing
According to the Commission's
assessment, Sri Lanka has not sufficiently addressed the shortcomings in
its fisheries control system identified in November 2012. The main
weaknesses include shortcomings in the implementation of control
measures, a lack of deterrent sanctions for the high seas fleet, as well
as lacking compliance with international and regional fisheries rules.
As a result, the Commission
tables a ban on fisheries products caught by Sri Lankan vessels being
imported into the EU. In order to avoid disrupting ongoing commercial
contracts, the full trade measures will only come into force in
mid-January 2015, which is three months after the decision is published
in the EU's Official Journal.
Progress confirmed for Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu
The Commission has today also
proposed to remove Belize from the list of non-cooperating third
countries in the fight against illegal fishing and to end the trade
measures imposed against the country in March 2014. Belize has
demonstrated its commitment to reforming its legal framework and
adopting a new set of rules for inspection, control and monitoring of
vessel. The Council will take a decision in this respect.
In a similar vein, the Commission also announced the termination of steps against Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu
who all received a formal warning in November 2012. The countries have
taken concrete measures in addressing established shortcomings and shown
commitment to complete structural reforms in order to address illegal
fishing.
The Commission has prolonged the cooperation with Korea, Curacao and Ghana
until January 2015. Despite some progress achieved in these countries,
which have received formal warnings in November 2013, more time is
needed in these countries to make changes.
Commissioner Damanaki said: "The
improvements Belize made as regards its fisheries control system since
its 'red card' show that the EU's fight against illegal fishing works.
The formalised cooperation with the EU has helped the country to move
towards sustainable fisheries. The same goes for Fiji, Panama, Togo and
Vanuatu. These countries' positive attitude should serve as a template
to other countries in similar situations."
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1132_en.htm?locale=en
14/10/14
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Related:
Less is More: We Need a Global Strategy to End Fishing Overcapacity
Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία
Today, the European Commission stepped up its action to fight illegal fishing worldwide by warning eight third countries that they risk being identified as countries it considers non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The countries in question are: Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu.
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