02/04/25 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 2 April, the European Parliament approved a new protocol to the fisheries agreement between the EU and Guinea-Bissau (see EUROPE 13602/31). The report by Éric Sargiacomo (S&D, French) was adopted by 605 votes to 68 with 10 abstentions. MEPs are concerned that Guinea-Bissau is becoming a ‘flag-of-convenience country’ for ship registration. The lack of transparency over fleet ownership is hampering the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to Parliament. It calls on the EU to mobilise technical and financial assistance to strengthen the capacity to monitor and control fishing activities, prevent IUU fishing and combat fraudulent re-registration strategies. Mélissa Camara (Greens/EFA, French) deplored the “cruel lack of transparency” regarding shipowners and felt that local communities hadn’t been sufficiently consulted. (LC)