The Philippine Mission to the European Union in Brussels is pleased to announce that today, 21 April 2015, the European Commission granted the Philippines a "green card", signifying the successful completion of the formal dialogue with theEU on illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUUF).

European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Mr. Karmenu Vella announced the granting of the "green card" to the Philippines at a press conference in Brussels. The announcement coincided with the opening of the annual European Seafood Expo at the Brussels Expo.

With this matter successfuly resolved, exports of Philippine fisheries product to the EU will continue unhampered. Fisheries products account for the bulk of Philippine exports to the member states of the European Union.

The Philippines and the European Union began a formal dialogue on IUUF in June 2014, when the European Commission issued the Philippines a yellow card, pre-identifying the Philippines as a possible non-cooperating country in the fight against IUUF. During the initial six months of the formal dialogue, the Philippines exerted significant efforts to address perceived shortcomings in its legal, administrative and technical frameworks for ensuring sustainable fisheries.

Among the major accomplishments during this 6-month period are the enactment of amendments to the 1998 Philippine Code, the strengthening of cooperation with countries in the Pacific to ensure treaceability of catches made by Philippine long-distance fleets in waters outside of Philippine Jurisdiction, and the bolstering of the technical and administrative capacities of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to ensure the effective enforcement of Philippine fisheries regulation.

President Benigno Aquino III also assured European Union heads of government of the Philippine commitment to ensure sustainable fisheries during his visit to Belgium, France, Spain and Germany in September 2014. END