Secretary General Carlos Domíguez assesses the new agreement with the fishing sector. (Photo: Magrama)
New EU-Mauritania fisheries agreement causes concern in Spain
EUROPEAN UNION
Monday, July 30, 2012, 23:10 (GMT + 9)
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama) "negatively" assessed the text of the Fisheries Agreement that Mauritania and the European Union (EU) signed in Nouakchott, after seven rounds of negotiations.
This bilateral agreement will be submitted shortly for approval of the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament (EP) so that it can enter into force.
The Spanish government has deemed the fisheries pact signed last week negative because it excludes the catch of octopus and sets fishing conditions for certain methods, especially for shellfish and hake trawling, which hinder their economic viability.
Under the new agreement, the European Commission (EC) agreed on an increase of the financial contribution included in the EU budget – up to almost EUR 70 million annually -- and shipowners’ permits -- between 300 per cent and 400 per cent over the current ones -- "which could eventually raise the total compensation up to around EUR 100 million a year," the ministry expressed in a statement.
Furthermore, Magrama disagreed on:
- The indirect increase in costs due to the obligation of hiring 60 per cent of Mauritanian crew members;
- The use of a second satellite tracking system;
- The landing of all catches in Mauritanian ports;
- The fuel supply monopoly of the operating company in Mauritania;
- In the case of the 24 Spanish cephalopod vessels, the entity questions that fishing opportunities are not allocated during the first year of the agreement and this situation could only be reviewed after this period;
- The ban on the 20 shellfish vessels from Huelva, which will not be able to operate in the same areas where they had been fishing under the previous protocol, imposing further restrictions on catches and on presence in the fishing ground, which significantly reduce the possibility of a viable business.
Magrama "shares the deep concern expressed by the Spanish fishing sector given the outcome of this negotiation," the statement added.
In addition, the Spanish Government does not agree about the attitude of the EC negotiators, who "have ignored the warnings of the Member States and have not responded in defense of the EU fishing interests."
The Secretary General of Fisheries, Carlos Domínguez, this week will convene shipowners' associations to discuss the text of the agreement and to decide on the next steps that might be taken to defend the interests of the Spanish vessels.
Related article:
- Mauritania and EU sign new fisheries agreement for two years
By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media
|