Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the 32nd meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on March 3.
This crucial meeting took place just before the European Commission (EC) inspection team's visit to Vietnam, which is scheduled from March 9-19, as the fifth inspection in nine years.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Head of the Steering Committee; Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang, along with leaders of various ministries and sectors. The meeting was connected online from the Government Headquarters to coastal provinces and cities.
In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister emphasized: "Do not let the mistake of an individual or a group affect the collective effort of the entire country." The goal is to prepare thoroughly, report comprehensively, achieve substantial results, and convincingly explain to the EC; there is no room for complacency, negligence, or irresponsibility, he noted.
According to the report at the meeting, recent efforts to combat IUU fishing to lift the EC's "yellow card" warning and sustainably develop the fisheries sector have seen many positive changes. Tasks directed by the Party Secretariat, the Government, and the Prime Minister's Directive No. 18/CĐ-TTg have been implemented decisively and synchronously.
Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang stated that the Ministry has issued inspection plans, established working groups in localities, and initially identified and rectified some "closed without penalty" cases that did not meet legal grounds, requiring review and proper handling.
Regarding fleet management, over 80,000 fishing vessels have been registered and updated on the VNFishbase system. Vessels with "three no's" (no registration, no inspection, no license) that do not meet operational conditions are controlled, with local forces managing their docking positions strictly.
By March 1, 2026, all 17 coastal localities required businesses to self-declare, review processing, and export activities, and established inter-agency teams to inspect traceability management. Notably, no additional fishing vessels violated foreign waters during recent time.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh praised the efforts of ministries, sectors, and localities, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The Prime Minister outlined a dual goal: to develop the fisheries sector sustainably in a long term, while to be detemined to have the "yellow card" lifted by the EC. This involves gradually reducing offshore fishing intensity, which carries many risks, increasing aquaculture, deep processing, creating jobs, livelihoods, and improving people's lives, while fully meeting international requirements for responsible fisheries management.
The Prime Minister called for the entire political system to act with seriousness, substance, and continuity. All content related to sustainable fisheries development must be reported specifically, with clear solutions, addresses, and specific responsible individuals, the Prime Minister added.
Despite the achievements, the Prime Minister pointed out some existing issues that need immediate rectification: the application of technology and data management in fishing activities is not yet interconnected and synchronized; handling according to the EC's five recommendations needs further improvement, and the progress of occupational transition in some localities is still slow.
The emphasized principle is to resolve each issue thoroughly, ensuring data criteria are "accurate, sufficient, clean, live, consistent, and shared."
For specific tasks, the Prime Minister requested ministries, sectors, and localities to continue implementing the Government's directives decisively, especially Directive No. 18/CĐ-TTg of the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is tasked with preparing a comprehensive report on sustainable fisheries development, focusing on the roadmap to reduce fishing intensity, fleet management, production control, technology application, and improving fishermen's livelihoods.
The Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Public Security, and Science and Technology must closely coordinate, unify data, avoid information conflicts, and assign specialized staff to participate directly in the work, ready to explain the contents of interest to the EC delegation, the Government leader requested.
The Ministry of Defense directs the Border Guard to strictly control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports; increase patrols in adjacent sea areas. The Ministry of Public Security accelerates the investigation and handling of serious violations; coordinates to clarify responsibilities in localities with high "closed case" rates.
Coastal provincial and city People's Committees must report specific results of occupational transition, reduce the number of fishing vessels, create livelihoods for people; commit not to let new violations arise; prepare complete traceability dossiers and working content when the EC delegation conducts field inspections. Localities that have not issued occupational transition policies must complete them soon.
Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group are required to review and ensure the data system meets management requirements.
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers must resolutely prevent enterprises from importing IUU-violating shipments; simultaneously build a fund to support occupational transition for people.
Media agencies should strengthen communication, guiding fishermen to exploit according to Vietnamese and international legal regulations.
The Prime Minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to directly monitor, inspect, and direct the handling of arising issues, promptly report contents beyond authority.
With the spirit of "high determination, great effort, decisive action," the Prime Minister requires the entire political system to prepare the best for the EC's inspection next week; not allowing any mistakes to affect the collective effort to have the "yellow card" lifted and building a sustainable, responsible, and deeply integrated Vietnamese fisheries sector.
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