The European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries recommended (23 votes in favour, 3 against and 2 abstentions), on Thursday 23 April, approving the agreement extending the EU/Mauritania fisheries agreement for one year (November 2020), to allow time to negotiate a new one (see EUROPE 12366/12).
This agreement is the most important of the fisheries agreements with non-Member State.
Adopting a report by Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spain), MEPs called on the European Parliament plenary to approve (in May) a one-year extension of the protocol, which allows for the following fishing opportunities: - vessels fishing for crustaceans other than spiny lobster and crab (5,000 tonnes and 25 vessels); - black hake (non-freezer) trawlers and bottom longliners (6,000 tonnes and 6 vessels); - black hake (freezer) trawlers targeting: black hake (3,500 tonnes): squid (1,450 tonnes): cuttlefish (600 tonnes); - vessels fishing for demersal species other than black hake with gear other than trawls (3,000 tonnes and 6 vessels); - tuna seiners (12,500 tonnes and 25 vessels); - pole-and-line tuna vessels and longliners (7,500 tonnes and 15 vessels) ; - pelagic freezer trawlers (225,000 tonnes and 19 vessels); - non-freezer pelagic fishing vessels (15,000 tonnes and 2 vessels).
The annual financial contribution paid by the EU amounts to €61.625 million for a maximum period of one year. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)