Standards sought to meet EU fish rules

THE National Fisheries Authority has worked very hard in recent years to reach a level of compliance to allow for fisheries exports to enter the European market.
This was done by progressively meeting requirements based on an economic partnership agreement signed in 2009 between PNG and the European Union.
The European Union Delegation explained this in response to questions from The National on what this partnership meant for trade in PNG and in particular the fisheries sector.
“The rules that apply to PNG’s trade with the EU are enshrined in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which both parties signed in July 2009, with ratification by PNG in 2011” according to the EU delegation.
“These rules specify quality and production standards that PNG needs to meet for its fisheries as well as other products.
“In return, the EU does not charge any duty or set maximum limits on PNG exports that meet these standards.
“The existing EPA offers duty-free quota-free (DFQF) market access into the EU with very flexible rules of origin, including ‘global sourcing’ for canned fish.
“Developing countries like PNG usually need to improve their regulations, policies and infrastructure or develop new ones in order to comply with the rules of a trade agreement according to the EU.
“This is due to better health, food safety, environment and sustainability standards that are properly enforced in developed countries.
“For this reason, PNG has had to work quite hard to establish the ideal environment to achieve a level of production and enforcement that meets the requirements set under the EPA.
“Naturally, PNG’s ability to meet the rules set under the EPA took time to reach a satisfactory level. Under the leadership of the NFA and with some financial and technical support from the EU and other sources, PNG steadily improved its support infrastructure necessary to ensure a satisfactory level of compliance with export requirements for fisheries.”