The European Commission decided on Thursday 5 January to list Cameroon as a non-cooperating country in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, it said in a statement.
The Commission has given it a ‘red card’ under the EU’s IUU regulation, which came into force in 2010 and ensures that only legally caught fisheries products reach the EU market. EU Member States will now refuse the import of fisheries products from Cameroon even when accompanied by catch certificates validated by national authorities.
“The decision was taken because of the persistence of serious shortcomings highlighted in a notification sent to Cameroon in February 2021”, the statement added. It is based in particular “on the inability of the Cameroonian authorities to ensure adequate control of the national fishing fleet and to take the necessary corrective measures to stop and prevent IUU fishing activities”.
Cameroon has continued to register fishing vessels operating outside its waters, including an IUU fishing vessel, without any monitoring of their activities. It will be up to the EU Council to validate the Commission’s proposal. Cameroon is able to demonstrate compliance at any stage. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)