On Tuesday 9 July, the European Commission adopted three proposals for a new fisheries agreement between the EU and Guinea-Bissau.
The aim of the new 5-year protocol is to grant fishing opportunities to EU vessels in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau’s fishing zones, in accordance with scientific advice.
The new protocol provides for the following fishing possibilities: freezer trawlers, fishmongers and cephalopod trawlers (3,500 GRT per year for Spain, Greece and Portugal), freezer shrimp trawlers (3,700 GRT per year for Spain, Greece and Italy), trawlers for small pelagics (0 tonnes), 28 freezer tuna seiners and longliners (14 for Spain, 12 for France and 2 for Portugal) and 13 pole-and-line tuna boats (10 for Spain and 3 for France).
Small pelagic catches are set at zero because of reservations about the state of stocks and the low take-up of quotas under the previous protocol.
The EU’s financial contribution is set at €17 million per year (€12.5 million for access to fisheries resources and €4.5 million to support Guinea-Bissau’s sectoral policy).
The texts must be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament.
See texts: https://aeur.eu/f/cz5 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)