The European Union’s ban on imports of fish caught in Sri Lanka has caused losses in revenue totalling $75m since January, according to foreign ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne.
The EU, which is the largest export market for the island’s fisheries industry, brought in the ban for the government’s failure to crack down on illegal fishing.
Ms Colonne said on Wednesday, the government has been taking steps to address the issues, including are fitting vessel monitoring systems on high sea fishing vessels, maintaining and updating a register of high sea fishing licenses, banning vessels using harmful fishing methods and prosecuting those found to be fishing illegally.
A technical evaluation mission from the Office of the Director General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Brussels is expected to visit Sri Lanka in October and discuss further steps toward lifting the ban, the spokesperson further said.
It was ‘impossible’ to have formal dialogue with Sri Lanka on human rights says EU (23 June 2015)
EU trade concessions will be regained after HRC session in Sept – Ranil (22 June 2015)
Sri Lanka confident in restoring GSP+ trade concessions (03 June 2015)
‘An awful lot remains to be done’ on human rights in Sri Lanka says EU envoy (10 May 2015)
Rights issues crucial to granting GSP+ in Sri Lanka, says EU Ambassador (31 March 2015)
Sri Lanka seeks to regain GSP+ (28 March 2015)
EU parliament's 'Friends of Sri Lanka' in visit to help remove fishing ban (08 March 2015)
EU suspends fish imports from Sri Lanka (16 January 2015)
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