Seafood exports to the EU: Drastic not to be the yellow card

The yellow card drawn out by the EU will cause a lot of losses for Vietnamese seafood exports for this market. Photo: Nguyen Thanh

Urgent problems

In relation to IUU, at present in the ASEAN region, Cambodia has been withdrawn the red card by the EU, the Philippines and Thailand have been withdrawn the yellow cards by the EU. For Vietnam, the EU has advised from 2012 to 2013, in 2016 and 2017 EU sent delegations to the inspection and warning. Most recently, the EU warned that until 30/9/2017, if Vietnam fails to overcome the five EU recommendations on IUU, the EU will withdraw the yellow card to Vietnam

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP): Receiving the yellow card of the EU, there may be many consequences. First of all, seafood exports to the EU will decrease as a country receives yellow cards, EU customers are afraid of being fined under the European Commission's (EC) IUU regulation, so they will reduce or stop to purchase the seafood from the countries which got the yellow card. In addition, the name of the country being warned will be published in the official EU magazines and websites. This negatively affects the image, prestige, brand of the country's seafood industry. In addition, other markets may apply more stringent control regulations to EU-flagged countries.

Many experts said that getting a yellow card is a serious damage to Vietnam's seafood exports to the EU. Currently, Vietnam's total seafood export turnover reaches US $ 1.9-2.2 billion each year, of which the EU and the US each account for 16-17%. Therefore, if the EU withdraws its gold card, not only in the EU, Vietnam will also find it difficult to export seafood to important markets such as the United States when it adopts an import control system to combat the case IUU waterfall from 1/1/2018.

Despite the deadline on the September 30, the EU has not had any actions yet. However, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam stressed that this is an urgent matter of. So far, after contacting the EU authorities, the answer is that the EU is considering. However, the review does not mean the EU will not pull the yellow card with Vietnam. "We have suggested extending the deadline to December 31, but even if the EU allows us to delay until December 31, we must take drastic action as an opportunity to reorganize production, building a responsible fishery and develop sustainably, "said Deputy Minister Tam.

Drastic overcoming

In fact, over the past time, the Government, as well as MARD, has been quite fierce in overcoming the recommendations of the EU. According to Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam, five EU groups warned and asked Vietnam to overcome, focusing on improving the institutions and regulations of Vietnam from the law down to the guiding documents with a view to ensuring the strict legal system with this issue as well as strict punishment.

Another important issue EU warns are fishing vessels and fishermen in Vietnam that illegally catch fish in the waters of other countries. This is an issue that the EU and other concerned countries have warned Vietnam, even in the international forums or bilateral meetings that Vietnam is also condemned by the countries and organizations. This not only affects the production of fishermen, seafood exports but also the prestige and cooperation of Vietnam with other countries. "It must be said that first of all, the Government, the Prime Minister as well as MARD have declared and discussed with other countries: Vietnam does not tolerate and does not encourage this violation. We have just mobilized and persuaded, but if there is the signal of the violation, it will be strictly treated, "Deputy Minister said.

Over time, Vietnam has made a series of moves to overcome the EU warning. Typically, in the drafting of the Fisheries Law (amended), there is a whole section on IUU; the draft Officially put the regulation on fisheries control into the law and emphasized the development of effective, responsible, sustainable fisheries ... At present, the design of fisheries law, as well as the documents, will guide the Fisheries Law to move in the right direction, emphasizing the development of fisheries by developing aquaculture on land, raising the sea, raising the added value of fishery products. For the exploitation, Vietnam tries to keep the exploitation output stable, increasing the offshore exploitation and decreasing the coastal area. Currently, 70% of Vietnam's fishing vessels are concentrated in coastal waters. This is inadequate and it needs to be adjusted. "With this awareness, I believe that although the EU has withdrawn or not extracted the yellow card, we are determined to develop the fishing industry as well as the fisheries in a responsible and sustainable way," said Tam.