The European Parliament ratifies the update of the EU fisheries agreement with Mauritania for six years

BRUSSELS, June 8 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The plenary session of the European Parliament gave the green light this Wednesday to update the fishing agreement between the EU and Mauritania for six more years and unblocks the access of the European fleet to Mauritanian waters for the fishing of crustaceans, demersal fish, tuna and small pelagic, for a total of 290,000 tons per year.

With 557 votes in favour, 34 against and 31 abstentions, MEPs have endorsed what is the largest fishing agreement signed between the EU and a third country, which will allow vessels from Spain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal.

In exchange, Mauritania will receive €57.5 million per year for a maximum of 290,000 tonnes of catch and another €3.3 million per year will go to support the local fishing community.

The new agreement and its protocol will apply retroactively from November 2021 and is scheduled to end in November 2027. The EU-Mauritania fisheries partnership is one of the key fisheries agreements for the EU and provides fishing opportunities for vessels from 10 countries. of the EU, including Spain.

"The renewal of the fisheries agreement with Mauritania is good news for sound management of maritime resources and for the fisheries sector. It is the most important fisheries agreement in force", said Renew Europe MEP Izaskun Bilbao, after the vote which has detailed that it offers 86 European vessels the possibility of exploiting fishing surpluses under strict conditions of control and transparency.

In addition, MEPs have asked Mauritania to end the overfishing of some pelagic stocks, especially sardines, as well as their transformation into fishmeal and fish oil, and have warned of its negative consequences for local food security and contamination. of the waters.

The European Parliament has stated that, despite Mauritania's commitment in 2017 to phase out fishmeal and fish oil production by 2020, there has been a continued expansion of fishmeal factories since 2010.

Finally, in the attached resolution, approved with 532 votes in favour, 23 against and 74 abstentions, MEPs applauded Mauritania's commitment to make public its fishing agreements with third countries, in order to guarantee that EU vessels they will operate under the same conditions as any other fleet.