The Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan at a working session with the EC in Brussels. — Photo sggp.org.vn

BRUSSELS — The European Commission (EC) recognised Việt Nam’s efforts and progress in implementing EC's recommendations on fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and affirmed its commitment to accompany the country in developing sustainable fisheries and realising targets on transitioning to a green and circular economy, said an EC official.

EC Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius made the remarks at a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan in Brussels early this week.

The EC representative also said the EC wants to assist the Southeast Asian nation in becoming a model of sustainable fisheries development and anti-illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the world.

In the meeting, Hoan told Sinkevičius that Việt Nam saw the yellow card of the EC not only as a challenge but also an opportunity for the local fisheries sector to switch from a small-scale, tropical, multi-sector, multi-species industry to a responsible and sustainable one. A comprehensive plan with specific goals and solutions has been developed and implemented across all levels, especially in coastal localities, with the active participation of authorities, organisations, fishing communities, associations, and seafood businesses.

So far, with consensus and concerted effort from the entire political system, Việt Nam has achieved notable results, including high awareness and resolute actions in implementing legal provisions and EC recommendations on IUU fishing prevention and control across all levels, sectors, fishing communities, businesses, and society, according to the minister.

He went on to say that a comprehensive legal framework to manage fisheries and combat IUU fishing has been formed with the promulgation of the fisheries law, and the management of fishing vessels has significantly improved, with a national database for fishing vessels established and operated.

Currently, over 97.65 per cent of offshore fishing ships (with a length of 15 metres or more) have installed tracking devices. Meanwhile, seafood origin tracing has been carried out and controlled throughout the supply chain, from quantity control at ports to export certificate issuance and raw material control at processing plants.

In addition, a national database on administrative violations in fisheries has been formed, providing data to 28 coastal localities, the border guards and coast guard forces, contributing to a remarkable reduction in vessels' violation of foreign waters since 2015.

The minister stressed that Việt Nam has clearly identified sustainable fisheries development as the key to addressing the EC's yellow card warning.

Based on those reasons, he suggested that the EU quickly remove the warning for Việt Nam.

Minister Hoan also asked the EU to classify Việt Nam as a low-risk one concerning the implementation of the EU's new regulations on combating deforestation, continue promoting trade and investment in Việt Nam's agriculture, and support Việt Nam in developing eco-friendly farming, circular economy, emissions reduction, livelihood transformation for fishermen, sustainable blue economy, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable forest management.

The Vietnamese minister also had working sessions with officials of the EC Directorate-General for the Environment (DG Environment) and Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), during which he underscored the Vietnamese Government's commitment to transforming agriculture in an eco-friendly and sustainable direction, and developing a transparent and sustainable farming industry as the nation steers towards becoming a major global supplier of food products.