Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mahinda Amaraweera said Sri Lanka has suffered losses amounting to 100 million US dollars due to the embargo. An online discussion was held between officials of the Ministry who are currently in Tissamaharama and EU officials in Brussels.
In a statement the European Commission said the red card and associated trade measures against Sri Lanka were lifted because the country had significantly improved its national fisheries governance. European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella said “Sri Lanka has now a robust legal and policy framework to fight illegal fishing activities”.
The European Union Yesterday (21) officially revoked the ban on Sri Lanka’s fisheries exports. The EU imposed the export ban on Sri Lanka in October 2014 for violating the international fisheries law and engaging in illegal fisheries activities.
Minister Amaraweera added he expects to systematically build the collapsed export market for fisheries adding that efforts to export fish products to countries such as China, Russia and the United States have failed in the past.
