Could Zero IUU fishing Tolerance Lift EU Yellow Card For Vietnam?

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has outlined a “five zeroes” policy as the country steps up efforts to combat IUU fishing and secure the European Commission’s (EC) removal of its yellow card by the end of 2026.

Dung, who chaired the 36th meeting of Vietnam’s National Steering Committee on Combating IUU Fishing and Sustainable Fisheries Development in Hanoi on October 13, said that lifting the EU’s yellow card remains a top priority, with enforcement efforts to continue in full force through the end of 2026. To make it efficient, Dung called for the five zeroes policy: no Vietnamese fishing vessels seized by foreign authorities; no unqualified vessels allowed to operate; no unresolved vessel monitoring system (VMS) violations; no seafood consignments without traceable origins; and no discrepancies between reported figures and actual records, according to news site VNEconomy.

The EC delegate who visited Vietnam in March for inspections of the EU yellow card removal issued 38 corrective recommendations. As of September 30, Vietnam had fully addressed and verified 31 of the EC’s 38 recommendations. Five remain under implementation, while two require further clarification with the EC over differences in local operating conditions and Vietnam’s domestic legal framework. Officials are reviewing the outstanding recommendations to determine appropriate administrative measures.

Vietnam received an EU yellow card in October 2017 for its failure to take sufficient action against IUU fishing. From the start of this year, the government had tightened the monitoring of its tuna vessels through various initiatives, as an EU inspection was scheduled in March.