The European Union (EU) on Tuesday said it has revoked the “yellow card” warning it issued to the Philippines, after Manila rolled out various measures to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The yellow card was issued to the Philippines in June 2014 for “not doing enough” to stop IUU fishing. The EU cited Manila’s “concrete shortcomings,” such as the lack of a system of sanctions to deter IUU activities or absence of measures to address deficiencies in monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries.
While the warning did not affect bilateral trade, the EU could have banned fish products from the Philippines if Manila did not take steps to improve efforts to fight illegal fishing.
“The Philippines has taken responsible action, amended its legal systems, and switched to a proactive approach against illegal fishing,” European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella said in a statement.
“The Philippines has taken responsible action, amended its legal systems and switched to a proactive approach against illegal fishing,” EU Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux said.
Since an official dialogue started, the EU said the Philippines embarked on a series of reforms to upgrade its fisheries governance and successfully aligned it to international law.
“Achievements made by the Philippines include the adoption of a new Fisheries Code with a deterrent scheme of sanctions, the improvement of the traceability and catch certification schemes, reinforced cooperation with Papua New Guinea for inspection and control and coverage of the activities of the long distant fleet operating beyond Philippines waters,” the EU said.
With the lifting of the “yellow card” warning, the European Commission has stopped formal discussions with Philippine authorities.
The EU considers illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing a global criminal activity harmful not only to fishermen in Europe, but also to local communities in developing countries.
Data from the EU indicated that between 11 and 26 million metric tons (MMT) of fish or at least 15 percent of world catches are caught illegally every year. This is worth between 8 and 18 billion euros.
As the world’s biggest fish importer, the EU said it does not wish to be complicit and accept such products into its market. The so-called ‘IUU Regulation’, which entered into force in 2010, allows access onto the EU market only to fisheries products that have been certified as legal by the flag State concerned.