EU Lifts IUU Ban on Belize But Slaps Sanctions onto Sri Lanka The EU has ended its sanctions on Belize over non-cooperation in fighting illegal, unregulated and unrestricted (IUU) fishing, also lifting its ‘yellow cards’ on Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu. However, it has imposed sanctions onto Sri Lanka for its lack of progress in fighting IUU, while extending its deadline for South Korea, Ghana and Curacao to January 2015. Starting mid-January, all fishery imports from Sri Lanka-flagged vessels into the EU will be banned. The sanction on Sri Lanka follows four years of intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed [IUU] fishing. The EU imported 7,400 metric tons of fishery products from Sri Lanka last year, worth €74m, which means the ban could affect imports worth around €74 million a year.
In contrast, the EU 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. And three other countries — South Korea, Curacao and Ghana — were given formal warnings or so-called yellow cards in November 2013, meaning sanctions could follow if they do not demonstrate progress before January 2015. |