The online conference was held at the Government Headquarters and connected to 28 coastal provinces. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Minh Hoan, along with leaders from various ministries, sectors, central agencies, and local governments, also attended the conference.
During the conference, delegates focused on evaluating the progress made in addressing the shortcomings and limitations identified by the European Commission (EC) after four inspection rounds. They also discussed the implementation status of the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National Steering Committee for IUU’s directives, as well as the remaining shortcomings and incomplete tasks. Additionally, they identified key tasks for the upcoming period, with the fifth inspection round by the EC expected to take place in October 2024.
The reports and opinions presented at the conference concurred that significant progress has been made since the EC’s fourth inspection round in October 2023 and over the seven years of implementing tasks and solutions to combat IUU fishing and lift the EC’s “yellow card” warning. As a result, there has been a positive shift in the fight against IUU fishing, with concrete outcomes. The legal framework has also been improved following the EC’s recommendations.
However, there are still many shortcomings, limitations, and delayed tasks related to fleet management, law enforcement, connecting vessel monitoring systems (VMS), and illegal fishing violations.
INVESTIGATE, PROSECUTE, AND SEVERELY PUNISH 100% OF CASES
In his conclusion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh agreed with the reports and opinions regarding the achievements and existing shortcomings and limitations. He analyzed the reasons for these limitations and emphasized the need to hold accountable the heads of sectors, levels, agencies, and localities if they fail to implement seriously the policies and laws of the state regarding the fight against IUU fishing, or if they lack determination in their leadership, direction, and management.
The Prime Minister clearly stated the goal of lifting the “yellow card” warning during the fifth inspection round by the EC delegation, expected in October 2024. He affirmed that the goal of combating IUU fishing and lifting the “yellow card” has a solid political, legal, and practical foundation.
The Prime Minister instructed the relevant ministries, sectors, localities, functional forces, Party committees, and authorities at all levels, especially at the grassroots level, to strongly promote their roles and responsibilities. He called for a spirit of patriotism and caring for the people, unified awareness, and focused leadership and direction. He also emphasized taking decisive action to perform the task of combating IUU fishing and promptly completing the克服 of shortcomings and limitations, focusing on three key tasks.
First, closely monitor and manage the fleets to prevent IUU violations and definitively handle the “three no” fishing vessels (no registration, no inspection, no license). Second, review, classify, and strictly handle collectives and individuals who violate the regulations of the Party and the laws of the state. Administrative violations should be handled administratively, and criminal violations should be handled criminally. Third, strengthen inspection, examination, monitoring, and traceability, and handle any violations accordingly.
Regarding specific tasks, the Prime Minister requested that the heads of central ministries, sectors, and localities continue to thoroughly grasp and seriously implement the contents, tasks, and directions of the Politburo in Directive No. 32-CT/TW and the Government in Resolution No. 52/NQ-CP. They should also effectively implement these while propagating and mobilizing, and at the same time, thoroughly applying the regulations in Resolution No. 04/2024/NQ-HĐTP dated June 12, 2024, of the Council of Judges of the Supreme People’s Court on guiding the application of a number of provisions of the Penal Code regarding the criminal prosecution of acts related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense were assigned to coordinate with localities to investigate, prosecute, and severely punish 100% of cases related to sending fishing vessels and fishermen to fish illegally in foreign waters. This includes cases of disconnecting, sending, and transporting VMS equipment, brokering, colluding, and other serious violations as specified in Resolution No. 04/2024/NQ-HĐTP.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (the Standing Agency of the National Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing) was instructed to continue organizing working groups to inspect and monitor the implementation of regulations on combating IUU fishing. They should also follow up, urge, guide, and promptly report on the performance of tasks related to combating IUU fishing. Additionally, they should advise and propose to the Government and the Prime Minister to strictly handle organizations, individuals, and functional forces that fail to fulfill their assigned tasks and responsibilities or collude with IUU fishing activities. The ministry should also coordinate with ministries, sectors, and localities to carefully prepare the program, plan, and content for the fifth working session with the EC delegation and prepare good options to ensure the best results and avoid passivity and unexpected impacts on the efforts to lift the “yellow card” warning.
The Ministry of National Defense was instructed to continue strengthening patrols, inspections, and controls in border waters with neighboring countries to prevent and promptly handle fishing vessels with signs of illegal fishing in foreign waters. They should also direct the border guard forces in the provinces to seriously implement the task of controlling the exit and entry of fishing vessels at the ports and strictly discipline the border stations that allow fishing vessels that do not meet the conditions for exit and entry to participate in fishing activities, as well as the functional forces under their management that collude with IUU fishing activities.
The Ministry of Public Security was instructed to direct the public security forces to promptly investigate, prosecute, and punish organizations and individuals related to brokering and colluding to send fishing vessels and fishermen to fish illegally in foreign waters, as well as sending and transporting VMS equipment on other fishing vessels for illegal fishing. They should also coordinate with relevant localities to continue investigating and strictly handling, in accordance with the law, organizations and individuals related to the legalization of dossiers for export batches to the European market, which were detected by the EC during the fourth inspection round in October 2023.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was assigned to direct the Vietnamese embassies in relevant countries to promptly collect information from the host countries about the detention and handling of Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen for IUU fishing violations. This information should be provided to the functional forces in the country for investigation and strict handling in accordance with regulations.
The Ministry of Justice was requested to urgently study and advise on supplementing the authority to impose administrative sanctions in the field of fisheries for the heads of branches under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, who have the function of state management in fisheries or perform the functions and tasks of fisheries inspection as prescribed by law. This task should be completed and reported to the Prime Minister in September 2024.
The Ministry of Information and Communications was assigned to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to clarify the responsibilities and strictly handle units that provide VMS equipment and satellite services for VMS equipment on fishing vessels that do not meet the regulations. If the violation is due to the fault of the providing unit, they must compensate for any damages incurred by the people.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment were requested to continue prioritizing and allocating funds and capital according to regulations to ministries, sectors, and localities to implement tasks to combat IUU fishing, lift the “yellow card” warning, and promote the sustainable development of the seafood industry.
REVIEW ALL VIOLATION CASES AND DETERMINEDLY IMPOSE PENALTIES
The Prime Minister requested that the secretaries of the provincial Party committees and the chairmen of the People’s Committees of the coastal provinces and centrally-run cities directly lead and direct the completion of a number of tasks.
Accordingly, they should review all IUU fishing violation cases since the fourth inspection round, focusing on cases of disconnecting, sending, and transporting VMS equipment, crossing sea boundaries, brokering, and colluding in illegal fishing in foreign waters. They should continue to investigate, clarify, and decisively handle any violations and complete the report on the results in September 2024.
They should also concentrate the maximum resources (human resources, finances, equipment, and means) and mobilize and strengthen forces in the locality, especially at the grassroots level (ward/commune/town), in coordination with the border guard and public security forces. They should combine propaganda and mobilization with timely prevention and handling of violations from an early stage and from afar, especially in the provinces of Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Binh Dinh, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
For provinces that continue to have cases of fishing vessels violating IUU fishing in foreign waters, the secretaries of the provincial Party committees and the chairmen of the provincial People’s Committees must organize self-criticism and clearly define the responsibilities of the heads of agencies and functional forces. They should complete and report the results to the Prime Minister in September 2024.
They were also requested to urgently complete the management of the fleet, registration, inspection, and granting of fishing licenses, as well as the marking of fishing vessels and the granting of certificates of food hygiene and safety conditions for fishing vessels. They should also handle the “three no” fishing vessels and hold accountable organizations and individuals related to the delay in granting fishing licenses to fishing vessels as prescribed.
They must strictly control fishing vessels entering and exiting ports, monitor fishing output, and strictly handle the management boards of fishing ports and the offices of fisheries inspection and control at the ports if they allow IUU fishing vessels to enter and exit ports and unload seafood products without verification and handling in accordance with regulations.
They should continue to review and strictly implement the work of confirming and certifying the traceability of caught seafood. They must also resolutely handle criminally the act of legalizing dossiers for export batches to the European market.
Regarding associations and enterprises, the Prime Minister requested that the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers and seafood enterprises seriously implement regulations on combating IUU fishing and strictly prohibit the purchase, processing, and export of seafood products of IUU origin. They should also strictly prohibit colluding with organizations and individuals to legalize dossiers for seafood products of IUU origin for export to the European market. Additionally, they should proactively coordinate closely with functional agencies in investigating, verifying, and strictly and thoroughly handling organizations, individuals, and seafood enterprises that operate illegally, legalize dossiers, or collude with and tolerate IUU fishing activities.
The Vietnam Fisheries Society was requested to continue accompanying and actively mobilizing its members to set good examples and comply with the regulations on preventing and combating IUU fishing. They should also timely encourage exemplary individuals and good deeds and promptly denounce and report any IUU fishing violations.
The Prime Minister also noted that along with strictly implementing the regulations of the Party and the laws of the state, it is necessary to promote the care and support for stable livelihoods for the people, such as shifting from fishing to seafood farming. At the same time, it is important to propagate and mobilize people to raise their awareness and sense of responsibility towards the country, their homeland, and themselves. They should not be short-sighted and forget about long-term interests or neglect the common good for individual gain. The determined handling of violations and the fight against illegal fishing are for the benefit of fishermen and the country. The Prime Minister requested that the Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations, as well as the central and local press and media agencies, further promote propaganda and mobilization of the people.
The Prime Minister requested that the Party committees, ministries, sectors, localities, and relevant agencies carefully prepare the program, content, and plan for the fifth working session with the EC delegation. They should prepare good options to ensure the best results and avoid passivity and unexpected impacts on the efforts to lift the “yellow card” warning. They should also ensure that the reception and work with the inspection delegation achieve the best results and soon lift the IUU “yellow card.”
“If any locality does not make a change in performing the task of combating IUU fishing in the coming time and continues to have violations and fails to complete the assigned tasks, the secretaries of the provincial Party committees and the chairmen of the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities must take responsibility before the Politburo, the Government, and the Prime Minister, as directed in Directive No. 32-CT/TW of the Politburo and Resolution No. 52/NQ-CP of the Government,” emphasized the Prime Minister.
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