11/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 11 March, the European Parliament approved, with a few amendments, the proposal on the partnership agreement in the fisheries sector between the European Community and the Côte d'Ivoire. Applicable during a six-year period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2013, the agreement provides fishery licenses to 25 refrigerator tuna seiners (10 French and 15 Spanish vessels) and 15 surface longliners (10 Spanish and 5 Portuguese) (EUROPE 9535). Fishing possibilities are restricted to the highly migratory fish species: tunny, especially yellowfin tunny, skipjack tuna, bigeye tuna, and to a lesser extent swordfish. The annual reference tonnage is 7,000 tonnes. The financial compensation is €595 000 per year. (L.C.)