The Regional Strategic Meeting (RSM:EU-IUU) to understand the impact of the European Union’s Regulation on IUU Fishing (Council Regulation No 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008, or EU-IUU Regulation in brief) on BOBP-IGO member-countries Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka was held in Negombo, Sri Lanka from 11 to 12 September 2009. Representatives of the four member-countries, FAO and INFOFISH took part.
The meeting welcomed the EU-IUU Regulation as it is expected to help combat IUU fishing – a long-standing problem in the marine waters of the member-countries. A through review has been carried out of the preparedness of member-countries regarding the EU-IUU Regulation. It was concluded that member-countries have the necessary legal framework to address the requirements of EU-IUU Regulation, though the diverse nature of the fishery and resource constraints pose problems of implementation. Delegates also discussed at length the problem of catch certification from the small-scale fishery. After deliberations over two days, member-countries prepared roadmaps to address the issues identified.
As of now (13 Jan 2010), India, Maldives and Sri Lanka have notified EU about their arrangements for catch certification.