The NGO Bloom on Wednesday 5 April called the European Commission’s proposal to object to measures (contained in a resolution) of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) restricting the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) “undemocratic”.
Bloom explains that the governance of the IOTC is such that “if one of its members opposes a resolution, it becomes inapplicable to its fleet. Furthermore, if one third of the IOTC members (i.e. 11 of them) oppose a new resolution, it automatically lapses”.
For the NGO, “this opens the way for undemocratic post-vote lobbying to overturn decisions. An opportunity that the EU has fully exploited” (see EUROPE 13154/10). “As soon as the resolution was adopted, the European tuna lobbies made it clear that they would ask the European Commission and the IOTC members to oppose it”, explains Bloom.
The role played by the EU is damaging, according to the NGO, as “overturning the FAD ban will put tuna populations and entire coastal economies at risk of collapse”. EU Member States are urged to reject the Commission’s proposed objection, “in the interest of marine ecosystems and coastal communities in the Indian Ocean”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)