Brussels, 14/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will shortly begin talks on a new fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Mauritania. On Monday 14 March, the EU Council of Ministers adopted, without debate, the decision allowing a mandate to open negotiations to be given to the Commission. The current protocol will expire on 31 July 2012.
The fisheries agreement with Mauritania is larger than any other concluded with a third country in terms of the EU's financial contribution (roughly €70 million per year) and fishing opportunities (catches totalling 900,000 tonnes). Community vessels holding licences to fish in Mauritanian waters number 110.
In a debate in the European Parliament (EP) on Monday 7 March, European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki said that the new protocol would, for the first time, contain a human rights and democratic principles clause, and measures to address illegal fishing. The Commission wants also to decouple access rights payments (compensation from the EU for catching fish in the waters of Mauritania) and payments to support the fisheries sector. “This will enable us to react more effectively to the problems in the implementation of sectoral support and, at the same time, to secure the access payment and thus the fishing activities of EU vessels”, Damanki explained.
The execution rate for sectoral support was very high in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, however, it dipped dramatically - to only 52% - the commissioner acknowledged. This was mainly due to the high retention rate of relevant funds for the Mauritanian Ministry of Finance.
Last year, in agreement with the Mauritanian side, the Commission decided to split payment of the sectoral support into two tranches. The Commission also retained half the total - €9 million of the total of €18 million - until a higher absorption rate was reached. In addition, a new mechanism has been brought in from the first half of 2011 to ensure that the funds allocated go directly to support the sector.
During the plenary session debate, Alain Cadec (EPP, France) made the point that this is the only agreement, along with that made with Guinea-Bissau, which provides fishing opportunities for cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish) and shellfish. He spoke of the few problems which remain with regard to this agreement: - lack of infrastructure, particularly a port at Nouakchott, “which hinders the development of local fisheries and has an effect on European Union investment more generally”; - a number of European vessels were boarded and inspected without justification; - the Mauritanian authorities use methods other than the VMS satellite monitoring system stipulated in the agreement, “which makes the work of the ship owners more difficult”; - EU ship owners consider the private fishing fees too high for the effective fishing opportunities brought. “The situation regarding the technical measures applied to European ship owners will also have to be clarified as they are currently discriminated against compared with the other fleets fishing in Mauritanian waters”, Cadec said. He drew attention, too, to the “Chinese influence” in the fisheries sector in Mauritania, operating in “joint ventures” under the Mauritanian flag. Chinese fishing “is able to avoid all health, economic and social regulation” and was contributing to the “pillage of the resources” in Mauritanian waters. This fishery had to be able to be quantified and monitored, Cadec said.
Carmen Fraga Estévez (EPP, Spain), who chairs the EP fisheries committee, stated that this agreement was “vital” for the European fleet and for Spain. For Mauritania, the EU financial compensation represented 29% of GDP. She argued that EU compensation had to be adjusted to the fishing possibilities offered to European vessels in order to avoid having the EU pay for “paper fish or for fish that are impossible to catch”. Josefa Andrés Barea (S&D, Spain) called for a scientific committee to be set up and for measures to ensure greater security for Community vessels.
“A clause about consequences in cases of violation of human rights and democratic principles: that is excellent”, said Isabella Lövin (Greens/EFA, Sweden). However, it had to be ensured that EU boats have access only to the surplus of fish not used by local fishermen, she went on to say.
She raised the issue of overfishing of cephalopods and the very strong competition between EU trawlers and local fishermen. “I expect that these (cephalopod) fisheries will be reduced in the forthcoming agreement”, Lövin stated. (L.C./transl.rt)