Originally, the Ecuadorian fishing sector expected to leave that status in March after almost five years of validity, but the EU's decision was extended to a new inspection visit.
In October 2019, the European Union (EU) warned Ecuador with a yellow card for considering it a non-cooperative country and that it did not have the necessary control elements against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
However, the fishing sector of the Andean country hopes that this status does not reach the end of five years and will be lifted in September, when a new visit by the delegates of the General Directorate of the Sea of the European Union is scheduled.
This was indicated by Bruno Leone, president of the National Chamber of Fisheries (CNP), who however emphasized that Ecuador expected the sanction to be lifted and return to the green card between February and March of this year after the last visit of the delegates. European meetings in December 2023 and a virtual meeting in March.
“There were a couple of issues left that have to do with the sponsorship part of the issue of handling administrative files due to issues of possible infractions, so what we have discussed with the authorities will remain until September.”
However, he stated that if in September, for some reason, the sanction is not lifted, "things will have to be handled at another level", since the sector has complied with all the requirements and requests of the EU to exit the card status. yellow. “It's time for them to give us the card.”
In 2023, according to figures from the Central Bank of Ecuador, with US$ 199.5 million, fish was the fourth most important item of traditional Ecuadorian exports behind shrimp (US$ 7,205 million), bananas (US$ 3,587 million) and cocoa. (US$ 1,170 million).
Meanwhile, canned fish led Ecuador's exports of non-traditional products with US$ 1,327 million and ranked third among non-oil and non-mining exports.
Furthermore, that year it was the third most exported product to the EU with US$ 750 million, only behind shrimp and bananas.
So far in 2024 -January and February-, fish remains in fourth place in Ecuador's traditional exports with US$ 36 million and canned fish has also consolidated itself as the first non-traditional export product with US$ 236 million. .
Although it dropped one place in the top of non-oil and non-mining exports, due to the rise of cocoa, which in these months reached exports of US$ 289 million, 204% more than in the same period of 2023.
In April 2023, the fishing sector had already indicated that it complied with all the requests of the Europeans, 29 points, but above all with the two main ones: a new law that is in accordance with the current demands of the fight against illegal fishing and the development of traceability control of fishing products.
At that time, however, the lifting of the sanction was also planned, since the sector expected it for December 2022, but it did not happen due to the same issue that prevented it from being lifted last March.
In December 2022, the EU General Maritime Convention confirmed the progress during a visit to the country, but the yellow card was not lifted because they requested that a sponsorship department be determined, which is the department where the procedures will be processed. the cases and files that are put together based on a possible infraction.
Now, Leone indicated that the lifting of the sanction has been delayed because these are long processes that Ecuador has successfully completed.
At the same time, he indicated that the Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries, Sonsoles García, confirmed that Ecuador has done all the work it should do to lift the sanction.
"Rather, the people from the General Directorate of the Sea have passed the date of the new review for September. At this moment, yes, Ecuador already feels that it has done everything and the necessary steps will have to be taken to finally get it up." Leone said.
