COLOMBO: Sri Lanka said on Friday that the local fisheries industry is to be modernized with lifting of a ban by the European Union (EU) on fisheries products from Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a statement Norwegian assistance has been sought to modernize the fisheries industry.
The prime minister appreciated the role played by the Foreign Ministry, Fisheries Ministry and others to lift the ban on fisheries products from Sri Lanka to the EU.
The European Commission this week formally lifted the ban on fisheries products from Sri Lanka and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said the fishermen can now begin exporting fisheries products to EU countries.
In April the European Commission said after a lengthy dialogue process Sri Lanka has successfully reformed its fisheries governance system.
Sri Lanka was issued with a yellow card in 2012 and banned by the Council in February 2015. This was the result of a long-standing failure to address serious shortcomings in the implementation of control measures, a lack of deterrent sanctions, as well as the failure to comply with international and regional fisheries rules.
Sri Lanka has subsequently amended its legal framework, strengthened sanctions and improved its fleet control.
