Brussels, 02/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On 22 December 2006, the European Commission announced the signing of a new fisheries agreement between the EU and Mozambique. The Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) for a period of 5 years, which will become effective on 1 January 2007, will replace the current agreement (in force since 2004 and expired at the end of 2006). The FPA gives EU fishermen (from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece) better tuna fishing quotas (10,000 tonnes as opposed to the previous 8,000 tonnes) for 44 freezer sinners and 45 surface longliners (compared with the previous 35 and 14). Shrimp fishing in the high seas has been scrapped given the lack of interest among fishermen for shrimp fishing. The EU will pay EUR 900,000 a year (compared with more than EUR 4 million a year from 2004 to 2006), plus EUR 300,000 for licences for EU ship-owners (the licence fee has gone up from EUR 25 to EUR 35 a tonne). (lc)