The delegation from the EP's Committee on Fisheries inspect the factory of the Binh Dinh Fishery JSC (Photo: VNA)

The delegation led by Gabriel Mato, MEP and committee spokesperson, had high-level meeting with the Prime Minister, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, ministers, and officials from concerned agencies. The delegation heard about enforced measures and newly-passed laws and met with officials from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). They hailed Vietnamese functional agencies and related fishing association for involving in discussions in an open, frank, cooperative and constructive manner. They said considerable improvements in the Law on Fisheries would surely increase the capacity of addressing and stopping IUU in Vietnam’s seas.

They welcomed VASEP’s publication of the white book on IUU fighting in Vietnam. The delegation recognized Vietnam’s political efforts in committing to dealing with IUU issues and emphasized that the country has allocated sufficient human and finance resources for the work. Emphasizing the importance of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), they stressed the need to clarify the bilateral cooperation in the fight against IUU in the programme on sustainable trade development of the agreement. They pointed out that it is important for Vietnam and the EU to continue their open dialogue so to work together in successfully addressing challenges from illegal fishing activities in the wider world.