On Friday 6 June, the European Union and Côte d’Ivoire officially signed a protocol resuming - after almost a year - their cooperation under the Fisheries Partnership Agreement, announced the European Commission (see EUROPE 13593/17). This signature means that the new protocol will apply provisionally from 6 June 2025.
The Protocol will enter into force as soon as the ratification process has been completed by both parties (approval of the texts by the EU Council and the European Parliament).
This protocol will give EU vessels access to Ivorian waters for a period of four years, allowing them to fish for around 6,100 tonnes of tuna and other migratory species per year.
Côte d’Ivoire will implement projects to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). The total EU contribution under this new protocol will amount to €2.967 million, or €740,000 per year, of which €435,000 will be specifically earmarked to support the sustainable fisheries sector in Côte d’Ivoire. In addition to this contribution, European shipowners will pay the Ivorian administration a licence and catch fee of €80 per tonne, rising to €85 per tonne in the third and fourth years of implementation of the Protocol.
The protocol should also help to improve working conditions on board fishing vessels. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)