Three countries, Bulgaria, Poland and Portugal, signed the “Torremolinos Declaration” in efforts to ratify the Cape Town Agreement by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (11 October 2022), and to combat illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).
During a European Union High-level Ministerial Maritime Conference in Croatia, 10-11 March, the participants along with the IMO Secretary General, Kitack Lim, noted the importance of bringing the Cape Town Agreement into force.
The entry into force is expected to improve safety at sea in the fisheries sector worldwide. It will also be a useful tool in combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and reducing pollution from fishing vessels, including marine debris.
For the time being, the countries that have entered the Cape Town Agreement are: Finland, Belgium, Congo, Cook Island, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa and Spain.