Brussels, 14/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - The Council of Ministers of the EU adopted a decision, without debate, on Monday 14 March authorising the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the renewal of the protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for by the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and the Union of Comoros.
The current protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and the Union of Comoros expires at the end of December 2016. In order to ensure continuation of fishing activities of EU vessels in Comorian waters after that date, the Council agreed to the Commission's recommendation that it, the Commission, should be authorised to open negotiations on behalf of the Union for renewal of the current protocol.
“Although the Council and the Commission are concerned that the calendar of negotiations for the new Protocol coincides with an ongoing process that could lead to an identification, by the Commission, of the Union of Comoros as a non-cooperating third country pursuant to Article 31 of the IUU Regulation, they consider that, given the approaching expiry of the validity of the current Protocol, it is appropriate to open negotiations for the new Protocol at this stage”, says the Council and Commission statement. The Commission has yellow-carded Comoros because of its failure to address illegal fishing sufficiently vigorously.
The Council notes that, should the Commission adopt a proposal to list the Union of Comoros as a non-cooperating third country pursuant to Article 33 of the IUU Regulation, with all the attendant trade sanctions, such as a ban on the import into the EU of Comoros fisheries products, the Commission “will suspend at that moment further negotiations and refrain from submitting any proposals concerning the signing/provisional application and/or conclusion of a new Protocol, until the legal circumstances change”, states the Council and Commission statement.
In a separate statement, the Commission takes the views that the concept of “surpluses” is less relevant in fisheries activities targeting highly migratory fish species, for which specifically tailored management objectives and appropriate management measures, such as rules on priority access, catch, capacity and fishing effort limits, and, if necessary, allocation keys, have to be put in place above all at regional or sub-regional level by stakeholder members of the relevant regional fisheries management organisations, in line with scientific opinion. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)