Brussels, 21/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will soon be able to begin discussions on renewing the fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Mozambique. On Monday 21 February, the EU Council of Ministers adopted a decision, without discussion, authorising the Commission, acting on behalf of the EU, to open negotiations on renewing the protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement with Mozambique.
The current five-year agreement expires on 31 December 2011. It makes provision for a financial contribution from the EU of €900,000 per year. The agreement authorises Community vessels, mainly from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, to fish tuna (10,000 tonnes per year) in Mozambican waters. It is part of the network of tuna fisheries agreement covering the Indian Ocean.
Under the current tuna agreement between the EU and Mozambique, the breakdown of vessels per country is as follows: purse seiners - Spain 23, France 20, Italy 1; longliners - Spain 23, France 11, Portugal 9, and UK 2. (L.C./transl.rt)