EU Accepts Fishing Subsidies Agreement on
World Oceans Day
The European Union this week deposited
its instrument of acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies,
marking a major development towards the Agreement’s entry into force. The EU’s
instrument of acceptance was presented to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Paris on the side lines of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Ministerial
Council Meeting by Minister for International Development Cooperation and
Foreign Trade Johan Forssell of Sweden, which currently holds the Presidency of
the Council of the EU; European Commission Executive Vice-President and
Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis; and European Commissioner for
Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.
Speaking
in Paris on 8 June, World Oceans Day, DG Okonjo-Iweala
said: “I warmly welcome the EU's formal acceptance of the Agreement on
Fisheries Subsidies. The EU's acceptance represents the 8th instrument
deposited with me, and
as we know the EU has 27 member states, all of which are WTO members. With this
ratification, we are nearly one-third of the way toward the entry into force of
this crucial agreement for our shared ocean. I commend the EU's support for
efforts to restore global marine fisheries to health and long-term
sustainability.”
“On this
day when the international community comes together to celebrate and protect
our ocean, I urge more WTO members to ratify the Agreement on Fisheries
Subsidies so it can enter into force, and start delivering sustainable benefits
for marine fisheries, as soon as possible. I also call on all WTO members to
continue and deepen their engagement in the second wave of fisheries subsidies
negotiations, so that a successful conclusion can be reached at our 13th WTO
Ministerial Conference next February in Abu Dhabi.”
Mr
Forssell said: “It's truly an historic day. After all these years, we have
finally been able to end the subsidies for harmful fisheries. So it's a big day for us and it's also a big step forward
for a better environment and for a better future.”
Mr
Dombrovskis said: “The EU played a pivotal role in spearheading this landmark
WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which will turn the tide on harmful
practices such as illegal fishing. I am very proud that we are among the first
to accept the first ever multilateral trade agreement to focus on
sustainability, which will help to restore fish stocks across the world. It is
proof that the WTO can deliver solutions for today’s sustainability challenges
and that, as we proceed with WTO reform, it provides a good basis from which to
tackle other global challenges.”
Mr Sinkevičius said: “This year the EU is celebrating
World Ocean Day by formally accepting the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
The Agreement is a crucial step towards ensuring that fisheries subsidies — not
only in the EU, but also globally — have sustainability as their core
objective. This will help conserve fish stocks that are vital to global food
security and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Along with initiatives
such as the United Nations' High Seas Treaty, the WTO Agreement on Fisheries
Subsidies is another major step towards saving our ocean, to which the EU
greatly contributes.”
Adopted
by consensus at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva on
12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new binding,
multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the
widespread depletion of the world's fish stocks. In addition, the Agreement recognizes the
needs of developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) and establishes a fund
to provide technical assistance and capacity building to help them implement
the obligations.
The
Agreement prohibits support for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)
fishing, bans support for fishing overfished stocks, and ends subsidies for
fishing on the unregulated high seas. Acceptances from two-thirds of WTO
members are needed for the Agreement to come into effect.
Members
also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view
to making recommendations by MC13, to be held in February 2024 in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates, for additional provisions that would further enhance the
disciplines of the Agreement.