IUU-fishing

Preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

The Council and Commission regulations establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing became applicable in the EU Member States on 1 January 2010. With the exception of the products listed in Annex I of Commission Regulation (EU) No 86/2010, the catch certification scheme established by the regulations applies to fishery products under Chapter 03 and Tariff headings 1604 and 1605 of the Combined Nomenclature imported to the European Union from countries outside the Union (so-called third countries) and fishery products exported from the Union to third countries.

The catch certificate is one of the documents to be attached to the customs declaration when importing fishery products covered by the catch certification scheme to the European Union. By a properly validated catch certificate the importer demonstrates that the fish from which the fishery product has been processed was caught in accordance with the rules and regulations concerning fishing in force in the area concerned. Imports may also involve processing of the products in a third country, in which case a processing statement (Annex IV) validated by the competent authority of the third country concerned is required for imports. The processing statement must be accompanied by properly validated catch certificates and documents used for transport which show the origin of the fishery products.

When exporting fishery products covered by the scheme from the European Union, the catch certificate validated by the competent authority of Finland must be attached to the customs documents if the fishery product is to be reimported to the Union as such or as a further processed product.

A third country may also require a catch certificate on Finnish fishery products imported to that country.

In Finland the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Southwest Finland inspects the catch certificates and processing statements (Annex IV) of fishery products imported to the European Union and it is also responsible for the validation of the catch certificates of fishery product consignments exported from Finland to third countries. 

An electronic service has been established for importers and forwarders by which an importer of fishery products can submit the import application to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Southwest Finland. The processing by the authority takes place and the decision is made in the electronic system and the decision is sent to the applicant and The Customs in electronic form.

Forms and instructions:

Catch certification scheme, latest version 24.1.2018

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE - IUU Catch certificate system - Information service, latest version 7.8.2018

IUU-European Community Catch Certificate

Catch Certificate for export to Japan

FAO codes for fish species (export)

IUU-European Community Re-export Certificate

Further information:

Southwest Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY-centre)

Petri Savola, tel. 0295 021 460
Switchboard, tel. 0295 022 500
firstname.lastname(at)ely-keskus.fi

Jukka Linder, tel.  0295 021 079
Switchboard, tel. 0295 022 500
firstname.lastname(at)ely-keskus.fi