Image © From Bait to Plate – Tracking the Chinese Fishing Ships Linked to Rights and Labour Abuses at Sea

Legislators have reached a consensus that the Commission will create a database aimed at facilitating the enforcement of this regulation. This database will compile reliable and consistently updated data concerning forced labor risks, including inputs from international bodies like the International Labour Organization (ILO). Its primary objective is to assist the Commission and national competent authorities in evaluating potential breaches of this regulation.

The interim agreement also establishes explicit criteria to guide both the Commission and national competent authorities in evaluating the probability of violations of this regulation, including the scale and severity of the suspected forced labour. This approach is strongly supported by Europêche.

The agreement reached by the co-legislators also establishes criteria clarifying the leading authority in investigations. The Commission will lead investigations outside the EU territory, while within the territory of a member state, the competent authority of that member state will take the lead in investigations where risks are identified.                     

Daniel Voces, managing Director of Europêche, declared: “The EU’s battle against forced labor is evolving into a decisive new phase, characterized by a comprehensive array of legal measures to eradicate exploitative labor practices. Together with the IUU policy and the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, the new law will undoubtedly help sustain dignified employment and upholding fundamental rights within the fisheries sector worldwide. The EU fishing sector stands ready to assist the Commission and Member States in their efforts to combat forced labour when and where necessary”. He continued: “ The new law will offer European consumers even greater confidence in purchasing products that are ethically and sustainably sourced.”

Press contact: 

Rosalie Tukker, Europêche Senior Policy Advisor +32 2 230 48 48 rosalie.tukker@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Forced Labour Trilogue

After a warm welcome by the Marine Department of the Thai Ministry of Transport and Cadets of the Asian Maritime Technological College, during two full days, specialist from all over the world[1] gathered to tackle one endemic problem in the fishing industry: Safety. 100.000 Fishing-related deaths occur each year[2], the vast majority happening in Asia and Africa, particularly in inland and coastal fisheries. In other words, every 5 minutes, a fisherman or woman passes away. According to Europêche, it is regrettable that international instruments aimed at protecting the life of 35 million people working in the fishing sector have not been widely ratified.

One of the main goals of this conference was to engage with stakeholders in Asia in the work of advocating human and labour rights for fishers and to support the development of pathways to ensure workers’ protection. By way of example, in the Thai fishing industry, on average 60% of fishermen working on their vessels originally come from neighbour countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. As in the EU, Thailand is dealing with a lack of motivation among the new generation to join the industry. A challenge for Thailand remains the ratification of key conventions for the safety of fishing vessels (Torremolinos Convention) and for training and certification (STCW-F). However, the country was the first in Asia to ratify the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188) aimed at protecting the living and working conditions of fishers on board of vessels.

At the conference, Rosalie Tukker, Senior Policy Advisor of Europêche, spoke about the importance of social dialogue and its ability to together with the workers address the gaps in the social dimension of fisheries and lead international effort to improve safety and working conditions, making key stakeholders aware of the human side of the sector, which is often forgotten.

Ms Tukker, declared: “Fishing is significantly safer in Europe, but it remains a global concern particularly in developing countries. For Europêche it is an absolute priority to protect the lives of those working at sea. Fishing stands at the beginning of an international seafood supply chain. Seafood remains one of the most traded commodities in the world and that concerns the EU market. We strive to make sure that fish products are harvested with high standards of safety and due respect to human and labour rights”.

Europêche, under the leadership of the FISH Platform will continue to provide a stage for all who wish to improve fishers’ lives and aims on working more closely in the future with Asian countries towards that goal.

[1] Experts from the UN specialised agency International Labour Organization (ILO), the Japan Agency for Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers, Stella Maris, the UN specialised agency International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Nautical Institute, Novikontas SCM, the Seafarers’ Charity, the Institute for Marine Science and Fishing Technology in Vietnam, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the International Ocean Institute in Singapore, the Outlaw Ocean Project, and Europêche.

[2] FISH Safety Foundation, Fisher Mortality Brief, November 2022 (Commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts) via https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2022/11/fisher-mortality-brief.pdf.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

EP Press Release – FISH Platform Conference Thailand

Voluntary social standards and certifications were recognised as drivers of sustainable economic development and a vital instruments to support learning, dialogue and trust-building between companies and stakeholders. However, Social Partners agreed on the fundamental principle that private labels can never go below the internationally recognised social standards set in ILO Convention C188.

“ILO C188 contains the minimum compulsory requirements to be respected and should be included in full, avoiding any cherry-picking in any voluntary certification scheme. The private labels which do not cover those minimum standards, should not be recognised as socially sustainable. So, any social-washing labels from 3^rd countries shall be left out of the single market”, said Juan Manuel Trujillo, ETF Fisheries Section Chair.

Europêche’s spokesperson in the European social dialogue, Ment van der Zwan, added: “In a highly competitive market for sustainable seafood products, admitting sub-standard certification schemes as socially sustainable would expose EU fishermen and companies to unfair competition. EU consumers would as well be highly misguided by the information provided by the label. Customers may chose a product labelled as socially sustainable, that in reality is not, over an European product with no such label but that by definition has to comply with higher social standards. It would be illogical and a commercial ruse.”

EP and ETF Press Release – Social Certification