Brussels, 31/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Last Thursday, the European Parliament adopted the report by Carmen Fraga Estevez (EPP-ED, Spain) which approves the proposal on the new fisheries protocol between the EU and Madagascar, initialled in March for a three year duration (21 May 2001 to 20 May 2004). The Parliament calls for the Commission to draft, during the last year of protocol application, a report on implementation of the fisheries agreement. The protocol only concerns the tuna fleet, although it will be possible to negotiate other fishing possibilities for other species (mainly shrimps). It provides fishing possibilities for 11,000 tonnes of thunnidae per year for 40 tuna seiners (5 less than before) and 40 surface longliners (10 more than for the previous protocol). The amount of the Community's financial annual counterpart is EUR 825,000. Participation of shipowners in the payment of rights has increased, from 20 to 25 euro per tonne of thunnidae caught.
With the adoption of the report by Pat the Cope Gallagher (UEN, Ireland), the EP adopted the proposal aimed at extending, until the end of the year, the current fisheries protocol between the EU and Senegal (see EUROPE of 8 June, p.9). If no agreement is reached on the conclusion of a new protocol before expiry of the current protocol (30 April 2001), the two parties have agreed to extend the latter by three months, then by another five, in order to guarantee the continuation of fisheries activities in Senegalese waters. We recall that the agreement concluded with Senegal (which, by order of importance, benefits Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Greece) covers three kinds of fishing: tuna (12 pole-and-line vessels, 41 tuna seiners and 23 longliners), pelagic fishing (22 European vessels) and trawler fishing (10,000 GRT). The fishing activities of Community vessels mainly concern tuna, northern prawns and benthic species such as hake, as well as the species living in shallower waters, such as cephalopods and grouper. The financial compensation paid by the EU in application of the current protocol amounts to EUR 12 million annually, that is, a total of EUR 48 million (over the period 1997-2001).