CFFA generally welcomes the comprehensive package of measures proposed by the European Commission to combat IUU fishing. The proposal foresees actions to be taken by or against flag States, port States and market States as well as actors in the fishing sector all along the chain of custody and will go a long way toward curtailing IUU fishing, both within and outside EU waters, both by EU-flagged and/or owned fleets as well as foreign fleets.
However, although the proposal acknowledges the need to help developing countries to fight IUU fishing, it fails to propose concrete measures to that effect. Without such concrete support, the measures proposed, such as the trade related measures, will constitute new trade barriers for legally-caught fish from developing countries, especially those fish products from the artisanal fishing sector.