European Union has lifted the ban imposed on Sri Lanka's seafood exports to the European Union with immediate effect.
The EU in April this year arrived at the decision to partially lift the ban following several rounds of discussions and decided to allow Sri Lanka to export fish within the next few months.
The order to completely lift the ban was to be submitted to the European Parliament for approval. Earlier, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Mahinda Amaraweera predicted that documents pertaining to removal of the ban will be received by Sri Lanka in June.
The EU, in January 2015, imposed the ban on Sri Lanka's fish exports to European countries, which was the major export market for Sri Lanka, as a result of engaging in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
The European Commission on 21 April lifted the ban after evaluating the progress made in complying with the European Union requirements Sri Lanka needs to fulfill to get the ban lifted.