EU ban on Sri Lanka fish exports lifted - Minister

European Union ban on Sri Lankan fish exports to EU countries have been lifted, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic resources Mahinda Amaraweera says.

The Minister made the observation while speaking at a press conference held in Kataragama a short while ago on Thursday (21) afternoon, Ada Derana reporter said.

Meanwhile, the EU in a statement said “the Commission lifts the red card and associated trade measures off Sri Lanka, as it has significantly improved its national fisheries governance.

Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, said: “Today’s decisions are yet another sign of the EU’s determination to fight illegal fishing globally. It also shows that we can bring important players on board: Sri Lanka has now a robust legal and policy framework to fight illegal fishing activities. As the fight against IUU fishing is part of the EU’s commitment towards sustainability and good ocean governance, each third country that comes on board is an asset.” 

In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission had banned imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing in 2014.

The move came 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.