EU flashes red for Lankan fish

Wednesday, 15 October 2014 01:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Proposes ban on import of fisheries products from mid-January; says Sri Lanka needs to address illegal fishing
Move comes after 4 years of dialogue with warning issued in 2012
Sri Lanka is second biggest exporter of fresh and chilled swordfish and tuna to EU worth Rs. 13 b
EU shows green card to Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu

In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission yesterday 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 also confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have successfully taken measures t

o tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this year against Belize. Sri Lanka is the second biggest exporter of fresh and chilled swordfish and tuna to the EU (Euro 74 million (or Rs. 13 billion) of imports in 2013). 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.” 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. Damanaki said Sri Lanka was now authorising huge vessels to fish in the Indian Ocean without marine GPS (VMS). “This renders control totally impossible,” she said. “Fisheries products caught by vessels flagged in Sri Lanka will not be able to enter the EU market after three months’ time from now. The Council will, by that time, have the possibility to confirm and extend the depth and scope of the trade measures. The Commission will continue to work closely with Sri Lanka to guide it towards a better system,” she added. A Reuters report said the EU has banned fish imports from Cambodia and Guinea over illegal fishing since March, and it delivered a formal warning to the Philippines and Papua New Guinea in June. A review of these countries’ progress in tackling illegal fishing is expected in January next year. The Commission in its statement has also said it has 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.”

European Court to rule on LTTE terrorist designation

Reuters: The European Court of Justice will rule on Thursday (16 October) whether European Union leaders were right to include the LTTE – a Sri Lankan nationalist militant organisation – on a list of terrorist organisations subject to an asset freeze. In its 2006 decision, EU leaders noted a number of attacks carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during their conflict with the Sri Lankan Government. But the Tigers have contested their inclusion on the list, arguing that their struggle was an “internal armed conflict” rather than acts of terrorism. The Tigers waged a 25-year civil war to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils, many of whom have complained of discrimination by governments led by the Sinhalese ethnic majority since independence from Britain in 1948. They conceded defeat on 17 May 2009, after a relentless Sri Lankan military offensive that retook the 15,000 sq km the rebels ran as a separate state. The cataclysmic end to the war came after the Government rejected calls for a truce to protect civilians, and the Tigers refused to surrender and free 50,000-100,000 people the United Nations and others said they were holding as human shields. Rights groups had accused the Tigers of forcibly conscripting Tamil refugees in the war zone as fighters or labourers. The Tigers denied that. The news of the capitulation was met with dancing and fireworks on the streets of the capital, Colombo.