The European Union (EU) is being accused of leveraging sustainability funding to influence developing nations and impede efforts to regulate overfishing in the Indian Ocean. Environmentalists claim that the EU is misusing sustainability funding to thwart attempts by developing nations to implement fishing regulations, particularly those challenging European dominance in the lucrative tuna sector.
European vessels have historically held a dominant position in tuna fishing in the Indian Ocean, backed by proactive EU lobbying against measures aiming to limit their market share. This stance is increasingly at odds with the interests of Indian Ocean-bordering nations, which have expressed concerns about the potential collapse of fish stocks and announced plans to regulate overfishing-related technologies.
During a meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in Kenya in February, 11 nations led by Indonesia agreed to restrict the use of fish-aggregating devices, a favoured method employed by European trawlers. Following the IOTC’s proposal, the EU has reportedly directed significant funds labelled as “sustainable fisheries partnerships” to nations supporting its position, potentially influencing them to reconsider their stance.
Critics argue that the EU is employing funding channels to exert pressure on developing countries, lobbying against proposed regulations under the guise of protecting the fishing industry and promoting environmentally friendly practices. Sustainable funds form a cornerstone of European fishing policy, allocating financial support to specific recipients.
An investigation by the sustainable fishing group BLOOM has uncovered allegations that the EU is using delegations and industrial lobbyists to stall overfishing regulations in East Africa. Brussels is also accused of engaging in direct industrial collusion to maintain its dominance in tuna fishing in the Indian Ocean. The EU’s diplomatic delegation to fishing negotiations in the region has been reportedly influenced by corporate lobbyists, according to a Guardian expose.
Frédéric Le Manach, the scientific director of BLOOM, condemns the EU’s actions, asserting that EU public authorities and industrial lobbies have merged into a body that not only harms marine ecosystems but also negatively impacts developing economies, labelling it as economic neocolonialism through the weaponization of sustainability funding.
African nations, in particular, are struggling to compete with European fishing fleets, with local fishermen finding it challenging to grow their fleets. Mohamoud Badrudiin, the director-general of Somalia’s fisheries ministry, highlights that diminishing tuna stocks pose an existential threat to the war-ravaged country.
Amid accusations of abuse of local fish stocks and bribery of local officials by European fishing vessels in Africa, a corruption scandal involving an Icelandic fishing company and Namibia further rocks the regional industry.
Brussels recently announced a new round of funding for sustainable fishing in the Indian Ocean, criticized by opponents as a cover for pursuing the EU’s strategic interests. European fishing lobbyists opposing the proposed reforms argue that there is no scientific consensus on the regulations.
As environmental funding increasingly becomes a part of EU foreign policy, the accusations against the EU in the Indian Ocean fishing dispute exemplify the complex intersection between purported environmentalism and real-world geopolitics. The situation underscores a growing assertiveness among developing nations in pursuing their own interests against Western influence.
