WRITTEN QUESTION No. 668/96 by Peter CRAMPTON to the Commission. Third country fisheries agreements
Date: 1996-03-15
Institutions: CRAMPTON, European Parliament
Subjects: Latin America, agreement (EU), fishing agreement, framework agreement, protocol to an agreement, third country













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91996E0668

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 668/96 by Peter CRAMPTON to the Commission. Third country fisheries agreements  


Official Journal C 297 , 08/10/1996 P. 0013 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0668/96 by Peter Crampton (PSE) to the Commission (15 March 1996)Subject: Third country fisheries agreementsAt present the European Union is in the process of negotiating and/or re-negotiating a number of fishing agreements with third countries.What is the current status of the negotiations with each country concerned?Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (20 May 1996)The Commission has concluded fourteen fisheries agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. The technical and financial aspects of the fishing arrangements for which they provide are set out in protocols and annexes to the agreements. These are regularly renewed before expiry, so that a new protocol follows on from an old one without hiatus and there is no interruption in fishing activities. Seven protocols fall to be renewed in 1996 (those with Seychelles, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Gambia, Mauritania, Senegal and Mauritius). In the case of Mauritius the government denounced the framework agreement in January and a new agreement will therefore have to be negotiated before the protocol and technical annex can be renewed. Protocols due to expire in subsequent years will similarly be renewed in due course.On the basis of a negotiating mandate, given by the Fisheries Council on 20 December 1995, the Commission is currently re-negotiating the fisheries agreements with the coastal states of the Baltic Sea. The basic aim is to amalgamate the agreements concluded by Finland, Sweden and the Community (as constituted before enlargement) into one new agreement between the enlarged Community and each of the Baltic coastal states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Russian federation). These new agreements may also include so-called 'second generation' elements, providing for the possibility to stimulate the creation of joint ventures and joint enterprises between private operators of both parties with financial assistance from the Community. It is expected that negotiations with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will be successfully concluded before summer. The negotiations with the Russian federation are somewhat delayed because of Russian internal procedures to recognise Community competence for the management of fisheries agreements concluded by Finland and Sweden before accession.New second generation agreements are planned with a number of Latin American countries. Negotiations with Venezuela are already under way and exploratory talks are being held with Peru and Mexico. Likewise, following a preliminary exploratory discussion, further talks will take place with New Zealand to look at the possibility of concluding a fisheries agreement.