Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a new strategy for the Community to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing
Date: 2007-10-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common fisheries policy, conservation of fish stocks, fishery management, fishing controls, fishing regulations, fraud

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 17.10.2007 
COM(2007) 601 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

On a new strategy for the Community to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, 
Unreported and Unregulated fishing 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

On a new strategy for the Community to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, 
Unreported and Unregulated fishing 

Illegal,  Unreported  and  Unregulated  (IUU)  fishing  is  a  major  threat  worldwide  to  the 
sustainable management of marine resources.  

The global 'turnover' of IUU fisheries has recently been estimated at in excess of € 10 billion. 
This  makes  the  IUU  business  the  second  largest  fish  producer  in  the  world  by  value,  after 
China.  

IUU is a global problem. It is also one in which the EU is called to play a leading role. The 
EU  has  one  of  the  largest  fishing  fleets,  is  the  third  catching  power  and  the  world's  largest 
market  and  importer  of  fisheries  products.  Illegal  fisheries  imports  into  the  EU  have  been 
estimated conservatively at € 1.1 billion a year.  

The loss is far from purely economic. Many IUU fisheries also extort an important ecological 
cost. While 75% of world fish stocks are either fully or over-exploited by legal fisheries, IUU 
fishing represents the hidden force which threatens to undermine this worrying situation. This 
threat  also  extends  to  vulnerable  marine  ecosystems,  at  a  time  when  the  international 
community is committed to protect them from destructive fishing practices. 

There  is  a  broad  international  consensus  on  the  need  to  act  decisively  against  IUU  fishing, 
expressed in particular by the FAO, the UN General Assembly and the OECD. The EU has 
long  been  active  in  the  fight  against  IUU  fishing,  both  at  home,  and  internationally.  This 
commitment was encapsulated in the EU's own 2002 Action Plan for the eradication of IUU 
fishing1.  

The  Commission  believes  that  the  time  has  come  to  take  the  fight  against  IUU  fishing  to  a 
new level. The best way to put an end to this lucrative business is to remove the incentive for 
crime by making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to market IUU products at a profit.  

The  need  for  a  new  EU  impetus  against  IUU  fishing  has  been  recently  highlighted  by  the 
European Parliament2.  

This Communication describes the main characteristics of the IUU phenomenon, and outlines 
the core elements of a new strategy to ensure that in future, fisheries crime does not pay. 

The integrated approach for the sustainable use of the oceans which underpins this initiative is 
shared with the European Marine Strategy and should also be seen as one step forward on the 

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Communication  from  the  Commission:  Community  Action  Plan  for  the  eradication  of  illegal, 
unreported  and  unregulated  fishing  -  COM(2002)  180,  28.5.2002  -  and  Council  Conclusions  of 
7.6.2002. 
European Parliament Resolution on the implementation of the EU action plan against illegal, unreported 
and unregulated fishing, adopted on 15 February 2007 (2006/2225(INI)). 

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path  towards  an  integrated  Maritime  Policy  for  the  European  Union  laid  out  in  the 
Communication  published  by  the  Commission  on  10  October  2007  (COM(2007)  575  –  the 
"Blue Paper"). 

1. 

FEATURES AND SCALE OF IUU FISHING  

1.1. 

Scope 

The only internationally agreed definition of "IUU fishing" is to be found in the FAO's IUU 
Action Plan. In line with this definition, and for the sake of clarity, the Commission considers 
that the scope of the EU policy to deter, prevent and eliminate IUU fishing should cover: 

•  infringements to rules on management and conservation of fisheries resources in national 

and international waters; 

•  fishing  activities  in  high  seas  areas  covered  by  a  Regional  Fisheries  Management 
Organisation carried out by vessels without nationality or registered in a non Party to the 
RFMO and in a manner contravening the rules issued by this organisation; 

•  fishing  activities  carried  out  in  high  seas  areas  not  covered  by  a  RFMO  in  a  manner 
inconsistent  with  state  responsibilities  for  the  conservation  of  fisheries  resources  under 
international law. 

The  policy  of  the  EU  against  IUU  fishing  shall  therefore  encompass  fishing  activities 
occurring  within  EU  waters  as  well  as  beyond  those  waters.  This  policy  should  be  geared 
towards deterring and punishing the most damaging infringements.  

1.2. 

Impacts of IUU fishing 

The  need  to  strengthen  EU  action  is  directly  explained  by  the  multiple  detrimental  impacts 
associated with IUU fishing. 

1.2.1.  Environmental damage 

The most obvious impact of IUU fishing is the often disastrous damage it inflicts on marine 
biodiversity. 

•  The practice of IUU fishing is to be found in every ocean, where it does great harm to the 
sustainability of fisheries. This is the case when catches go un- or misreported and thus 
contribute to over fishing. This is also the case when fishing activities target juveniles, in 
contravention of the rules on minimum sizes, or are carried out during periods or in areas 
which are normally closed, thus jeopardizing the renewal of the fish stocks concerned. All 
these impacts are worsened when targeted stocks are already outside safe biological limits.  

•  The environmental consequences of IUU fishing go well beyond the direct damage done to 
fish  stocks.  These  practices  also  represent  a  serious  threat  to  marine  habitats.  In 
particular,  fishing  with  prohibited  methods  can  result  in  a  high  proportion  of  unwanted 
species being taken as by-catch and then discarded. Such by-catch includes not only fish 
species, but other species, such as seabirds or turtles, the vast majority of which will not 
survive. Fishing in protected areas may also be the direct cause of irreversible damage to 
vulnerable marine habitats, such as coral reefs. 

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1.2.2. 

Socio-economic consequences  

IUU fishing does not only damage the marine environment. It represents the theft of common 
fisheries resources and results in considerable losses to those fishermen who do abide by the 
law.  Accurate  estimates  of  the  full  extent  of  any  illicit  practice  are,  of  course,  difficult  to 
obtain.  Notwithstanding,  the  value  of  IUU  fishing  has  been  assessed  to  amount  worldwide 
€ 10 billion. For comparison, the value of landings by the EU fleet was € 6.8 billion in 2004.  

•  The  EU  fishing  industry  faces  fierce  competition  from  IUU  operators  who  disregard  all 
obligations  which  legal  operators  take  on  when  working  the  same  fishing  grounds  or 
targeting the same species and end markets (e.g., cod, redfish, swordfish, toothfish, tuna). 
EU fishermen operating legally thus face unfair practices of IUU operators, which result in 
particular in loss of market share for the EU industry. This problem has worsened over the 
last  years  with  the  globalisation  of  the  fisheries  sector,  which  has  led  to  increased  trade 
flows of fisheries products whose legality is difficult to ascertain.  

•  IUU  fishing  also  has  dramatic  consequences  for  coastal  communities  in  developing 
countries,  for  which  fish  resources  may  play  a  major  role  in  food  security  and  poverty 
alleviation. Coastal developing countries often lack the means and capacity to manage and 
control  properly  the  maritime  waters  under  their  jurisdiction.  Unscrupulous  illegal 
operators  take  advantage  of  those  weaknesses  to  pursue  fishing  activities  without 
authorization  from  the  coastal  states  and  to  plunder  resources  which  are  vital  to  local 
fishermen.  This  is  a  major  problem  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa,  where  losses  resulting  from 
IUU fishing have been estimated at as much as € 800 million a year. 

•  In  addition,  some  firms  who  practice  illegal  fishing,  including  EU  operators,  operate 
substandard vessels flying the flag of states which apply no or very low standards of social 
protection.  As  a  result,  their  crews  have  to  endure  unacceptable  living  and  working 
conditions.  This  in  turn  undermines  efforts  to  achieve  international  progress  on  social 
standards  for  fishermen,  reflected  in  the  consolidated  convention  on  work  in  the  fishing 
sector adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in June 2007.  

1.2.3. 

IUU fishing undermines effort for better oceans governance 

The  continuation  of  illicit  practices  undermines  the  legitimacy  among  EU  fishermen  of  the 
rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).  

IUU fishing thus represents a major threat not only to the future of the common resources of 
our oceans, but also to any attempts to improve the governance regime through which they are 
managed. In this way, it jeopardizes the very foundation of the Community policy which is 
designed to ensure their sustainable management within and beyond EU waters. 

1.3. 

Drivers of IUU fishing 

The most important drivers supporting the perpetuation of IUU fishing are described briefly 
below. 

1.3.1. 

IUU fishing remains a profitable activity 

Incentives  to  practice  IUU  fishing  persist  as  long  as  it  remains  a  profitable  activity  for  the 
operators concerned.  

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•  Operators  practising  IUU  activities  are  able  to  maintain  low  operating  costs  and  enjoy 
substantial profits. The operating costs of firms involved in illegal fishing are generally 
lower than those of the average fishing firm operating legally. Costs resulting from social 
and  tax  charges  can  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  or  may  even  be  non-existent  for  fleets 
engaged in IUU activities under cover of offshore companies or flags of non compliance. 
Non-respect of fisheries rules and trading of catches outside official channels also translate 
into  reduced  expenses.  While  costs  are  low,  the  probable  profits  from  IUU  activities  are 
generally  high,  in  particular  since  illegal  operators  tend  to  target  valuable  species  which 
command higher market prices (for example, toothfish, bluefin tuna or cod). 

•  In  some  fisheries,  the  overcapacity  of  the  fishing  fleets  compared  to  the  fishing 
possibilities  available  also  generates  illicit  fishing  activities,  as  some  vessels  will  exceed 
the catch limits to which they are subject in order to maintain a level of catch that can keep 
their business profitable.  

In  a  context  of  steady  increase  in  the  consumption  of  fisheries  products  worldwide,  the 
incentives for supplying illegal fisheries products to the end markets will remain high as long 
as operators are able to make a profit on such activities.  

1.3.2. 

IUU  operators  are  able  to  perform  their  activities  without  facing  any  substantial 
hurdles  

The persistence of IUU practices is to a large extent the consequence of the ease with which 
illegal  operators  are  able  to  pursue  their  activities  throughout  the  whole  supply  chain, 
unhampered by any kind of obligation or constraint which might interfere with their practices. 

–  IUU operators firstly take advantage of the benefits available under certain national 

systems of flag registration.  

A  large  number  of  fishing  vessels,  in  particular  those  operating  outside  EU  waters,  are 
registered in states which run open registers and/or in states unwilling or unable to exercise 
proper  control  over  their  fishing  fleet  so  as  to  ensure  that  they  respect  conservation  and 
management measures. Registration in such states is generally a very simple and inexpensive 
operation.  This  encourages  flag-hopping,  where  vessels  regularly  change  flags  in  order  to 
benefit  from  the  least  demanding  regimes  and  make  it  more  difficult  for  inspection  and 
control  services  to  keep  track  of  them.  Under  the  Law  of  the  Sea,  the  duty  to  exert  control 
over a vessel is primarily incumbent upon the flag state. Illegal operators deliberately use flag 
from states which are unable or unwilling to exert such control. Both port states and market 
states  have  at  their  disposal  instruments  which  can  significantly  reduce  the  incentives 
provided by such "flags of non-compliance", but so far not enough use has been made of these 
instruments.  As  a  result,  most  of  the  vessels  identified  as  committing  IUU  offences  in 
different  parts  of  the  world  continue  to  be  registered  in  states  known  for  their  failure  to 
impose adequate control on their fishing fleet.  

–  These problems are exacerbated by insufficient cooperation at both international and 
EU levels between states and international bodies responsible for monitoring, control 
and surveillance of fishing and associated activities.  

•  IUU  operators  tend  to  pursue  their  catching  activities  in  fishing  grounds  where  control 
activities are difficult to perform (for example remote high seas areas) or where the control 

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capacities  of  the  competent  public  authorities  are  not  adequate  to  deter  them  (notably  in 
maritime waters of developing countries).  

•  IUU fishing is by essence an international activity. International trade in fisheries products 
has grown considerably as part of the economic globalization, and this has provided illegal 
operators  with  many  lucrative  new  opportunities.  To  dissimulate  their  illegal  origin, 
catches  are  often  transported  along  complex  routes  before  they  reach  their  final  market, 
including  transhipments  at  sea,  landings  in  "ports  of  convenience"  and  processing  in  a 
country which is different from both the flag and the market states. In some instances, the 
complexity,  scale  and  working  methods  of  these  activities  can  rightly  be  qualified  as  a 
form of cross-border organised crime.  

•  In  addition,  the  low  probability  of  illegal  operators  being  penalized  and  the  economic 
insignificance  of  the  actual  sanctions  which  may  be  incurred  remain  insufficient  to 
constitute  an  effective  deterrent  for  those  who  engage  in  IUU  fishing.  Those  sanctions 
come to be considered as negligible operating costs. 

•  Cooperation  at  all  levels  (international,  regional,  EU  and  national)  is  of  paramount 
importance  in  order  to  properly  track  and  investigate  IUU  activities.  Despite  some 
progress, the services in charge of the various aspects of maritime surveillance and border 
control  remain  fragmented,  and  the  absence  of  sufficient  means  to  collect  evidence  and 
exchange  information  between  them  have  hindered  the  establishment  of  effective 
mechanisms to deter IUU operators from continuing their activities.  

–  Illegal operators within EU waters also take advantage of the weakness of the control, 
inspection and enforcement systems of Member States to develop their activities.  

The  volume  of  fisheries  products  which  are  harvested  in  contravention  of  Community  rules 
and then sold outside official channels on the EU market (so-called "black fish") can reach a 
very high proportion in some fisheries (it is for example estimated that 35-45% of cod caught 
in the Baltic Sea is landed without being declared). 

2. 

PROPOSAL  FOR  A  NEW  EU  STRATEGY  TO  DETER,  PREVENT  AND  ELIMINATE  IUU 
FISHING  

In line with its international commitments and its overall objective of improving management 
and  avoiding  overexploitation  of  natural  resources  (as  set  out  in  the  EU  Sustainable 
Development Strategy agreed at the European Council of June 2006), the EU has a specific 
responsibility to lead international efforts in the fight against IUU fishing. 

The EU has been very active over the last years, promoting at EU, regional and international 
levels the implementation of an ambitious policy to deter, prevent and eliminate IUU fishing.  

While significant progress has been made, notably within RFMOs, there is no doubt that IUU 
fishing is far from being eradicated. The Commission considers that the persistence of such 
practices  despite  EU  and  international  action,  and  their  dramatic  environmental  and  socio-
economic consequences, call for an urgent and firm reply by the EU.  

The  EU  policy  against  IUU  fishing  has  been  driven  in  the  past  by  the  imperative  need  to 
elaborate  international  rules  and  establish  and  consolidate  regional  bodies  responsible  for 

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enacting  them.  To  a  large  extent,  the  focus  was  placed  on  the  monitoring,  control  and 
surveillance  of  activities  occurring  at  sea  and  the  identification  of  IUU  operators.  The 
Commission considers that the time has now come to extend this framework to the rest of the 
supply  chain  and  improve  its  effectiveness,  by  placing  the  focus  on  the  need  for  better 
enforcement and truly deterrent sanctions.  

The  main  challenges  which  the  EU  has  to  face  in  its  policy  against  IUU  fishing  are  the 
following:  

•  How to identify, prevent and sanction the import of IUU products from third countries into 

the EU market?  

•  How to enact more efficient measures to identify and sanction vessels and states engaged 

in or supporting IUU activities in the high seas or in waters of developing countries? 

•  How  to  improve  the  level  of  compliance  with  the  rules  of  the  Common  Fishery  Policy 

within EC waters and/or by EC operators? 

Those three challenges can be considered as the main problems posed by IUU fishing to the 
EU, and an adequate strategy needs to be devised to meet them.  

The  approach  proposed  by  the  Commission  aims  to  encompass  all  fishing  and  related 
activities linked to IUU practices (harvesting, transhipment, processing, landing, trade, etc.), 
and to address the problems raised by those activities at EU, regional and international levels. 
It will build on and further develop the most advanced measures enacted at international and 
regional  levels,  while  also  advocating  for  unilateral  action  by  the  EU  wherever  multilateral 
initiatives are not yet able to achieve a satisfactory outcome.  

The main features of the new strategy against IUU fishing advocated by the Commission are 
described below3. Some of the measures supported by the Commission will have to be based 
on  a  regulatory  instrument,  and  they  are  therefore  included  in  the  proposal  for  a  Council 
Regulation4  which  has  been  adopted  by  the  Commission  together  with  the  present 
Communication.  Other  measures  aim  at  guiding  the  future  policy  of  the  EU  in  the 
international  arena  or  in  its  collaboration  with  its  partners,  and  therefore  do  not  have  a 
regulatory nature.  

2.1. 

Complete the EU system for anti-IUU action by integrating the trade dimension 

The transnational and complex characteristics of the IUU phenomenon require the adoption of 
an integrated approach to address these activities throughout the whole supply chain (from the 
net  to  the  plate).  The  main  shortcoming  of  the  current  EU  regime  is  precisely  that  it  is  not 
comprehensive  enough.  The  market  dimension  of  the  IUU  problem  is  to  a  large  extent  left 
aside, despite the fact that the EU is the biggest market and the leading importer of fisheries 
products,  with  the  value  of  fisheries  products  imported  into  the  EU  amounting  to  nearly 
€ 14 billion in 2005. The EU framework is particularly weak when it comes to guaranteeing 

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A  more  detailed  presentation  of  the  proposals  underpinning  this  strategy,  as  well  as  a  review  of  the 
2002 Community Action features in the Commission staff working document adopted together with the 
present Communication. 
Proposal  on  Council  Regulation  establishing  a  Community  system  to  prevent,  deter  and  eliminate 
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - COM(2007) 602, 17.10.2007. 

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that  fisheries  products  from  third  countries  imported  into  the  EU  have  been  caught  in 
compliance  with  relevant  management  and  conservation  rules.  As  a  result,  the  volume  of 
illegal  fisheries  products  imported  each  year  into  the  EU  has  been  assessed  to  amount  to 
approximately  500 000  tons  for  a  value  of  € 1,1  billion,  and  higher  figures  should  not  be 
excluded. 

There is an urgent need for the EU to close these gaps. To this end, the current regime needs 
to be overhauled, via the introduction of major changes in the EU approach to the monitoring 
of  the  legality  of  fisheries  products  to  be  imported  into  its  territory  and  the  access  of  third 
country vessels to EU fishing ports. The measures proposed should effectively close the doors 
of the EU to illegal fisheries products and vessels, and thereby reduce the economic incentives 
for IUU operators to harvest and trade illicit fisheries products.  

Action proposed by the Commission:  

• 

Introduction  of  a  new  regime  governing  the  access  to  the  Community  territory  of  third 
country fishing vessels and imported fisheries products. This regime should be based on 
the  principle  that  only  those  fisheries  products  certified  as  legal  by  the  flag  state 
concerned are entitled to enter into the Community. 

2.2. 

Find more effective ways to persuade flag states unwilling or unable to exert an 
adequate control over their fishing vessels to ensure compliance with rules  

To  address  the  issue  of  "flags  of  non  compliance"  in  the  fisheries  sector,  the  EU  has  been 
taking  or  supporting  a  series  of  initiatives  at  multilateral  level.  While  acknowledging  their 
importance, the Commission considers those initiatives fall short of effectively addressing the 
problem. 

The  Commission  regards  as  unacceptable  the  current  situation  where  regional  and 
international  bodies  are  unable  to  enact  effective  measures  against  states  which  fail  to 
discharge their duties under international law to take appropriate action against IUU fishing, 
and notably against those states hosting flags of non-compliance. The absence of multilateral 
action  should  not  prevent  the  EU  from  fulfilling  its  own  commitments  against  IUU  fishing 
and taking any initiatives it judges necessary. The EU should establish for itself a transparent 
and fair mechanism to identify those states which place themselves outside the international 
legal  order  and  thereby  facilitate  IUU  practices,  and  should  apply  appropriate  measures  to 
encourage  them  to  ensure  that  their  vessels  do  comply  with  management  and  conservation 
rules. 

Action proposed by the Commission:  

•  Entitle the Community to act unilaterally in order to identify and establish black lists of 
states hosting flags of non compliance and vessels responsible for IUU fishing, and enact 
trade measures towards them. 

2.3. 

Reaching a higher degree of compliance with international and EU standards by 
EU vessels and operators, and generally in Community waters  

The EU can only be seen as a credible actor against IUU fishing in the international arena if it 
is able to demonstrate that illegal fishing in EU waters, and more generally by EU vessels and 

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operators, is being adequately tackled. Numerous investigations have shown that enforcement 
of the current provisions of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is far from satisfactory. EU 
operators are also believed to form a significant proportion of those registering their fishing 
vessels  in  states  hosting  flags  of  non  compliance.  This  weakness  should  be  addressed  as  a 
matter of urgency.  

The  current  EU  framework  already  provides  for  a  comprehensive  system  of  control, 
inspection and  enforcement of fisheries  rules.  Implementing those provisions  fall within  the 
competence of Member States. In that respect, the first step towards better compliance with 
Community  law  is  an  improvement  of  Member  States'  actions  to  address  illegal  fishing  in 
their waters or committed by their vessels or nationals beyond EU waters. 

In  addition,  the  current  framework  should  be  enhanced  with  a  view  to  closing  remaining 
loopholes of which illegal operators can take advantage. To this end, the Commission intends 
to  propose  in  2008  a  simplification  and  update  of  the  EU  framework  on  control,  inspection 
and enforcement.  

However,  the  Commission  is  also  of  the  view  that  the  insufficient  level  of  the  penalties 
imposed for serious infringements of fisheries law and the large degree of impunity enjoyed 
by  EU  nationals  who  engage  in  or  support  illicit  fishing  outside  the  EU  are  flagrant 
deficiencies which encourage the continuation of IUU fishing. These weaknesses call for an 
urgent reaction by the EU.  

Action proposed by the Commission:  

•  Use all the means at its disposal to encourage Member States and Community nationals to 

ensure a proper implementation of the current CFP framework; 

•  Approximation  at  EU  level  of  maximal  levels  of  sanctions  corresponding  to  serious 

infringements to the rules of the CFP; 

•  Stricter  control  and  enforcement  measures  against  Community  nationals  responsible  for 

IUU fishing beyond Community waters. 

2.4. 

Better cooperation for investigating IUU activities 

As indicated in Section 1.3, effective investigation of IUU activities requires a high degree of 
coordination and regular exchange of information between the various services in charge of 
maritime  surveillance  and  border  control,  as  well  as  for  the  development  of  new  means  to 
deter such activities. The Commission wishes to enhance the policy and practice of the EU in 
that regard.  

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The  Community  Fisheries  Control  Agency5  (CFCA)  will  have  a  pivotal  role  to  play  in  this 
field: 

–  within the EU, via the gathering and dissemination of information and the coordination of 

activities of national control authorities, the Commission and other agencies; 

–  between the EU and third countries, by promoting better cooperation at international level 
to improve the operational MCS capacities of control authorities in their tracking of cross-
border IUU activities. 

Action proposed by the Commission: 

•  At  international  level,  the  Commission  proposes  that  the  EU  substantially  contributes  to 
the multilateral efforts carried out, notably within the FAO, to put in place a global register 
of  fishing  vessels,  an  international  network  dedicated  to  MCS  activities  and  to  promote 
mutual assistance with third countries to combat IUU fishing; 

•  At Community level, coordination between and within Member's States control authorities 

should be improved via the activities of the CFCA. 

2.5. 

Intensify  EU  policy  against  IUU  fishing  on  the  high  seas  and  in  relation  with 
developing countries 

The  Commission  considers  that  the  regional  scale  is  the  most  relevant  level  at  which  to 
address in operational terms IUU fishing in the high seas. The Commission therefore intends 
to propose that the EU intensify its policy within RFMOs to deter, prevent and eliminate IUU 
fishing. 

Coastal developing countries are one of the main victims of IUU fishing. EU policy places the 
fight against IUU fishing at the heart of its relations with those states. In particular, the EU 
contributes  to  the  strengthening  of  their  capacity  for  better  management  and  monitoring  of 
fishing activities. This policy must be reaffirmed and reinforced through the bilateral relations 
between  the  EU  and  those  countries,  within  the  framework  of  both  Fisheries  Partnership 
Agreements  and  EU  development  policy  dialogue.  The  implementation  of  the  Community 
system  to  prevent,  deter  and  eliminate  IUU  fishing  shall  be  accompanied  by  actions  and 
initiatives  to  enhance  the  capacity  and  means  of  developing  countries  to  establish  the 
proposed certification system and for better management and monitoring of fishing activities. 
This  objective  should  also  be  pursued  at  regional  level,  via  ad  hoc  schemes  with  coastal 
countries  and  regional  organisations,  on  the  model  of  the  regional  plan  for  fisheries 
surveillance  in  the  southwest  Indian  Ocean  agreed  in  January  2007.  Financial  contribution 
will  notably  help  coastal  developing  countries  to  fulfil  the  requirements  of  the  Community 
certification  scheme  applying  to  imports  of  fisheries  products  into  the  EU  which  the 
Commission intends to propose. The Commission will further assess the consequences of the 
IUU  regulation  on  developing  countries  and  the  need  for  accompanying  measures.  The  EU 
will in particular carry out training programmes in developing countries to ensure a smooth 

5 

Cf.  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  768/2005  of  26  April  2005  establishing  a  Community  Fisheries 
Control Agency and amending Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 establishing a control system applicable 
to the common fisheries policy. 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
                                                 
application  of  this  scheme  and  avoid  that  it  impedes  trade  of  legally  harvested  fisheries 
products. 

Action proposed by the Commission: 

•  Consolidate, render more operational and expand measures against IUU fishing in the 13 
RFMOs  to  which  the  Community  is  Party  and  promote  coordination  between  those 
organisations; 

•  Confirm  and  intensify  the  financial  support  of  the  Community  to  coastal  developing 
countries in order to improve the management and monitoring of fishing activities in their 
waters  and  by  their  vessels;  further  assess  the  consequences  of  the  IUU  regulation  on 
developing countries and the need and cost of accompanying measures; 

•  Promote a rapid and large ratification of the ILO consolidated convention on work in the 
fishing sector as well as of international conventions relating to safety of fishing vessels, 
including  by  exploring  the  possibility  to  incorporate  these  conventions  into  Community 
law. 

The Commission intends to present the new EU strategy against IUU fishing advocated in the 
present Communication to the European Parliament and Member States and will invite them 
to endorse it. 

EN 

11 

   EN