Strasbourg, 19/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption (511 votes for, 69 against and 104 abstentions) of the report by Philippe Morillon (ALDE, France) on Tuesday 19 June in Strasbourg, the European Parliament approved, with a few amendments, the text of the new partnership agreement in the fisheries sector between the EU and the Republic of Kiribati (EUROPE 9409 for the European Commission's proposal). Kiribati is an archipelago which, despite its small surface area (810 sq km), controls an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of around 3.5 sq. km that is extremely rich in fishing resources, especially tuna. One of the amendments calls on the European Commission to verify every year that the member states comply with the obligations upon their vessels regarding catch declarations. The fisheries agreement, which runs for six years, grants 6,400 tonnes of tuna catches annually for four purse seiners (Spanish and French) and twelve surface longliners (6 for Spain and 6 for Portugal). The EU's financial compensation amounts to €478,400 per year. (lc)