On Tuesday 10 September, the European Commission adopted a proposal asking the EU Council to authorise it to negotiate a new fisheries agreement with the Republic of the Seychelles on access to the waters of Mayotte, which fall within the Union's jurisdiction.
The Commission intends to conduct negotiations on this access agreement in parallel with the negotiations for a new sustainable fisheries agreement with the Seychelles (see EUROPE 12294/30).
Since 2014, the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Mayotte has been part of the Union's waters. In 2014, the EU and the Seychelles therefore signed an agreement guaranteeing the operations of Seychelles flagged vessels in the EEZ of Mayotte, under the jurisdiction of France.
The current agreement, which allows eight Seychelles vessels to fish in the waters of Mayotte, will expire on 6 June 2020.
The payment of licences and catches by ship owners of Seychelles’ fleet is the only financial compensation under this agreement. This compensation is collected by France for the account of its outermost region Mayotte. These revenues are used by France for setting up the appropriate legislative framework, control activities and physical infrastructure, as well as for capacity building in order for the Mayotte administration to meet the requirements of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The agreement “contributes to responsible fishing in EU waters as to guarantee the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources”, according to the proposal. This agreement has no financial implications for the Union. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)