The agreement between EU and Mauritania expires by the end of July this year. (Photo: Stock File/FIS)

Mauritania and EU start negotiations to renew fishing agreement

EUROPEAN UNION
Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 23:50 (GMT + 9)

The European Union (EU) and Mauritania met on Tuesday in Nouakchott to start the sixth round of negotiations and try to boost the renewal of the bilateral fisheries agreement, which expires on 31 July, 2012.

The discussions are held ‘behind closed doors’ and are led by Cheikh Ould Ahmed, a technical adviser to the Minister responsible for Fisheries in Mauritania and in charge of the maritime surveillance; and by Stefaan Depypere, director of International Affairs and Markets in the Directorate of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs of the European Commission (EC).

The current agreement allows for 110 fishing boats, almost all of them are from Spain. In return, the EU pays Mauritania EUR 76.25 million per year, that is to say, 29 per cent of its budget resources.

Negotiations between the two parties were suspended in December, 2011 because of failure to reach an agreement on the sum of money the EU had to pay Mauritania to fish in its fishing grounds.

European and Mauritanian representatives agreed on several technical aspects: landing of caught fish, which must be performed in Nouadhibou port; the commitment to deliver 2 per cent of all pelagic catches; and the obligation of ships to enlist 60 per cent of seamen from Mauritania.

Furthermore, they agreed that vessels should catch fish for pelagic species up to 20 miles offshore [instead of 13 miles as at present], and those vessels catching crustaceans should do so at 8 miles [instead of 6 miles], EFE agency reported.

In late May, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), Miguel Arias Cañete, travelled to the African country to try to boost the renewal of the agreement "serving the interests" of both countries.

Fishing accounts for 50 per cent of Mauritania's exports and 10 per cent of its GDP, contributes 20 per cent to the national budget and creates about 36,000 jobs.

Shortly before the resumption of negotiations, the EP Fisheries Committee president, Gabriel Mato, warned that reaching an agreement is "really complex and difficult", so he showed he was not "overly optimistic", El Correo Gallego reported.

"Hopefully, we can reach an agreement, but, of course, if the technical conditions are increasingly difficult for our ships to fulfill and the economic conditions are getting higher for the EU with fewer benefits, in the end it is very difficult to reach an agreement," he explained.

Related article:

- Concern about 'little progress' in negotiations with Mauritania

By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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