Pressure on EU to sanction Chinese fisheries mounts – EURACTIV.com
Staff, 2023-01-25 03:14:45,
In light of increasing evidence of infractions by Chinese vessels, wake-up calls from multiple stakeholders and policymakers are piling up at the Commission’s door, asking to enforce EU rules on China over illegal fishing and human rights abuses.
China’s presence in international waters is not always the most visible, but after the world’s leading economy – the US – decided to take steps and sanction Chinese vessels, some wonder if the EU should follow.
“China is a clear example of a country with a significant illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing problem, especially for its long-distance fishing fleet that operates in the ocean globally,” said Vanya Vulperhorst, campaign director for illegal fishing and transparency at the NGO Oceana.
However, the EU executive is still not giving signs of action on the matter, despite the existence of a solid sanction system for imposing penalties over IUU fishing activities.
“It, therefore, seems that the EU prefers to use the dialogue and responsiveness created through the Blue Partnership to address IUU fishing by Chinese-flagged vessels,” Vulperhorst assumed.
The EU and China signed a bilateral agreement in 2018 – the Blue Partnership – to ‘cooperate on global ocean governance’ and created a standing working group which meets once or twice a year.
Pedro Reis Santos, secretary general of the Market Advisory Council (MAC), which provides market advice to the EU executive on…
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