COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document Recommendation for a Council Decision to authorise the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Date: 2019-06-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: European Commission, Mauritania, fishing agreement, fishing area, negotiation of an agreement (EU), powers of the institutions (EU), protocol to an agreement, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 4.6.2019 SWD(2019) 196 final  […] COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document Recommendation for a Council Decision  to authorise the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania  {COM(2019) 248 final} - {SWD(2019) 195 final}  
 
 
Table of contents 

1. 

2. 

3. 

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 2 

BACKGROUND TO THE INTERVENTION ..................................................................................... 2 

IMPLEMENTATION/STATE OF PLAY ............................................................................................ 3 

3.  METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................ 5 

4.  ANALYSIS AND ANSWERS TO THE EVALUATION QUESTIONS ............................................ 5 

6. 

CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 7 

1 

 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Purpose and scope 

Bilateral  sustainable  fisheries  partnership  agreements  (hereafter  -  SFPAs)  between  the 
EU and third countries are covered by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) regulation.1 
SFPAs  help  to  implement  the  CFP  objectives  internationally,  ensuring  that  fishing 
activities  of  the  EU  fleet  outside  Union  waters  are  based  on  the  same  principles  and 
standards  as  those  applied  in  EU  waters.  SFPAs  are  based  on  the  principles  of 
sustainability  and  best  available  scientific  advice,  transparency,  non-discrimination, 
solidarity  through  partnership.  All  in  all,  SFPAs  contribute  to  the  establishment  of  a 
governance framework for external fishing activities.2 Furthermore, the EU commitment 
to  promote  oceans  governance  at  a  global  level  should  be  incorporated  in  newly 
negotiated SFPAs.  

The  Council  Conclusions  on  the  external  dimension  of  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy 
adopted on 19 March 2012, calls for an ex-post and ex-ante evaluation to be carried out 
by the Commission before negotiating a new protocol.3 This stems from Article 31(10) of 
the Basic CFP Regulation. Ex-ante and ex-post valuation studies aim to inform decision 
makers, before the negotiation directives by the Council are adopted.  

This  staff  working  document  (SWD)  presents  the  results  of  an  ex-post  and  ex-ante 
evaluation  of  the  current  Protocol  (2015-2019)  between  the  EU  and  Mauritania,  which 
will expire on 15 November 2019. The study covers the period from the entry into force 
of the Protocol (16 November 2015) till  March 2019. The ex-post evaluation is made on 
the basis of assessment criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, economy, coherence, relevance, 
EU added value and acceptability. For the ex-ante analysis, the focus was on the lessons 
learned, possible benefits of the new Protocol, available options (renewal or non-renewal 
of the Protocol) and the associated risks, as well as the added value for the EU. 

2. 

BACKGROUND TO THE INTERVENTION 

Description of the intervention and its objectives 

To explain the logic of this intervention, it is important to explain the rationale of SFPAs. 
SFPAs  consist  of  3  major  parts:  Agreements,  Protocol  and  Technical  Annexes.  While 
once negotiated SFPA Agreements are automatically extended, the Protocols have to be 
renegotiated before their expiry. SFPAs are rendered operational through implementation 
Protocols that contain Technical Annexes. It is for this reason that the evaluation study is 
needed (as explained in the introduction), in order to decide whether it is beneficial or not 
renewing the Protocol and, if so, under which conditions.  

EU concludes fisheries partnership agreements with third countries to enable the EU fleet 
to fish surplus resources in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of partner countries (in 
this  case  –  Mauritania),  in  a  legally  regulated  environment  and  in  exchange  for  a 
financial  contribution  by  the  EU  and  ship-owners.  The  EU  contribution  is  made  up  of 
two separate components: 1) EU access fee that gives access for the EU fleet to waters 
and  fisheries  resources  of  a  partner  country;  and  2)  EU  sectorial  support  devoted  to 
development  of  the  fisheries  sector  in  partner  countries.  The  EU  public  contribution  is 
complemented by contributions paid by EU ship-owners. 

1 
2 
3 

Regulation (EU) 1380/2013 of 11 December 2013 the Common Fisheries Policy (OJ L354, 28.12.2013, p. 22); 
Overview of SFPA: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/international/agreements_fr; 
Doc. 7086/12 PECHE 66. 

2 

 
 
                                                 
Each SFPA is an exclusive agreement: once in place, EU vessels can only fish under this 
SFPA,  and  cannot  enter  into  private  agreements  with  the  partner  country.  The  SFPA 
ensures a level-playing field and establishes minimum standards for sustainable resource 
management  as  it  includes  provisions  prohibiting  the  granting  of  more  favourable 
conditions to other foreign fleets. The implementation of the Agreement and the Protocol 
is  managed  by  a  Joint  Committee,  which  meets  at  least  once  per  year,  composed  of 
representatives of both parties.  

The first fisheries agreement between the EU and Mauritania dates back from 1987. The 
current  Agreement  has  been  concluded  in  20064.  It  is  tacitly  renewed  every  six  years 
from its entry into force. Under the current Protocol of four years (16 November 2016 till 
15  November  2019),  the  EU  fleet  is  allowed  to  fish  in  Mauritanian  waters  for  shrimp, 
demersal  fish,  tuna  and  some  pelagic  fish,  up  to  a  total  of  287  050  tonnes  a  year.  In 
addition  to the fees paid  by the European fleet  (tonnage fees and para-fiscal  taxes), the 
EU pays a financial contribution of (EUR) 61,625 million per year for this partnership, 
comprising  (EUR)  59,125  million  for  access  to  waters  and  (EUR)  4,125  million  for 
supporting local fishing opportunities in Mauritania and improving fisheries governance5.  

Fishing possibilities have been set on the basis of the maximum number of vessels and 
TAC  per  category  and,  in  the  case  of  highly  migratory  species,  number  of  vessels  and 
annual  reference  tonnage.  Pro  rata  temporis  adjustments  could  also  be  applied    taking 
into account the catches per category  throughout the year.  

The negotiation of the new Protocol will imply the re-evaluation of various components 
of the protocol, such as reference tonnage, financial compensation (EU and ship-owners), 
fishing possibilities as well as numerous technical conditions (embarking of seamen and 
observers;  declaration  of  catches;  landings  in  Mauritania).  As  far  as  the  bilateral 
cooperation for strengthening Mauritania's capacities on the sustainable management of 
the fisheries sector, it is important that the sectoral support continues to focus some of its 
resources  on  capacity  building  in  monitoring,  control  and  surveillance  activities, 
scientific  research,  infrastructures  and  also  include  new  elements  if  necessary.    In  this 
light, the sectorial support contribution paid by the EU will also have to be reassessed. 

Important  to  note,  that  bilateral  cooperation  between  EU  and  Mauritania  should  be 
looked in a larger context, looking for synergies in all the actions undertaken under other 
SFPA or in the framework of regional cooperation. To do so DG MARE works in close 
cooperation with  other Commission services (DEVCO, TRADE, SANTE) and with  the  
EEAS in order to ensure coherence in actions undertaken by different services. Synergies 
are  also  sought  with  other  financial  donors  in  the  region,  in  order  to  avoid  double 
financing, and ensure maximum benefits to Mauritania. 

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION/STATE OF PLAY 

As  regards  the  implementation  of  the  Protocol,  a  number  of  areas  are  identified  by  the 
consultant, in order to reflect what the situation was like before the intervention started, 
and how it was expected to develop and other relevant points of comparison. 

4 Agreement adopted by Council Regulation (EC) No 1801/2006 of 30.11.2006 (OJ L343 of 8.12.2006). 

5 The  EU financial contribution has been increased from (EUR) 59,125 million to (EUR) 61,625 million  

per year since 18 March 2017, following the addition of a new fishing category. 

3 

 
 
 
                                                 
Utilisation of fishing opportunities.  

Utilisation of fishing opportunities has  been average over the period between 2015 and 
2019, with some notable differences per fishing category. For category 3 (vessels fishing 
for  demersal  species),  and  categories  4  and  5(long-liners  tuna  vessels),  utilisation  has 
been good. For category 1, shrimp trawlers, and for category 6 pelagic freezer trawlers, 
utilisation  has  been  average.    The  latter  fished  on  average  only  51%  of  the  quota  of 
225,000  tonnes  negotiated.  On  the  other  hand,  EU  vessels  targeting  black  hake  have 
slightly (category 2) or largely (category 2bis) exceeded the authorized catch levels, with 
significant overruns in some years according to available data. 

Catches and their reporting.  

Catches of EU crustaceans (category 1): Stocks of both species of shrimp targeted by the 
EU are within their sustainability limits. 

Catches of black hake (cat  2 and 2bis) have significantly exceeded authorised levels  in 
some years, according to available data. 

Catches  of  demersal  species  other  than  black  hake  (category  3):  Despite  catches  under 
this  category  have  been  within  the  threshold  fixed  by  the  protocol,  scientific  advice 
warns  on  the  stock  status  of  other  demersal  fish  covered  by  this  category,  as  it  is 
relatively unknown due to a lack of data in the fisheries where some species are targeted 
or incidentally caught. 

Catches  of  tuna  (cat  4,  5):  Highly  migratory  species  are  managed  regionally  by  the 
Atlantic  Regional  Tuna  Fisheries  Management  Organization,  ICCAT.  According  to 
ICCAT  scientific  advice,  skipjack  tuna,  the  main  species  targeted  by  EU  tuna  fleets  in 
Mauritania,  is  not  in  a  worrying  situation.  Yellowfin  tuna  is  showing  signs  of 
overexploitation  but  it  is  not  overfished.  As  bigeye  tuna  is  both  overexploited  and 
overfished, it is subject to conservation and management measures at the regional level. 

Catches of small pelagic species (cat 6): A majority of straddling stocks of small pelagic 
species targeted by EU cat. 6 are overall overexploited at regional level, including horse 
mackerel and sardinella. 

Catches  of  cephalopods  (category  8):    no  surplus  available  on  the  octopus  stock 
(cephalopod).To  note  that  no  fishing  opportunities  have  been  granted  for  this  category 
under the current protocol. 

Fishing possibilities and reference tonnages in the new Protocol should therefore reflect 
historical catches, and in particular referring to small pelagic and black hake adopting a 
precautionary  approach  to  take  into  account  the  situation  of  full  exploitation  or 
overexploitation of certain target species (horse mackerel and black hake in particular) in 
Mauritania and at the regional level. 

Regarding the reporting of catches, the new Protocol should strengthen effective and full 
implementation  of  a  transparency  clause  for  fishing  activities  in  Mauritania.  The 
electronic fishing logbook is planned to be used by Mauritania very soon for the national 
monitoring of the EU and non-EU fleets. This mechanism should improve inter alia the 
monitoring of consumption of TACs from the Mauritanian side. 

4 

 
 
 
Scientific cooperation.  

The Protocol foresees that EU and Mauritanian authorities should monitor the evolution 
of catches, the fishing efforts and the state of targeted fishery resource, and improve data 
collection and its analysis. Scientific cooperation is carried out though the Joint Scientific 
Committee  which  meets  at  least  once  a  year,  alternately  in  Mauritania  and  in  the 
European Union.  

Every  year Mauritania should provide the Joint Scientific Committee and the European 
Union  with  a  detailed  report.  This  includes  relevant  information  for  each  fishing 
category,  such  as  the  number  of  vessels  authorised  to  fish  in  Mauritanian  waters 
(including  national  fleet)  the  corresponding  volumes  of  catches  authorised,  recorded 
catch  volumes  and  also  any  relevant  information  concerning  the  fisheries  management 
measures  adopted  and  implemented  by  Mauritania,  including  in  the  regional  context. 
Therefore, it is crucial that the future Protocol continue supporting the reinforcement of 
scientific  cooperation  between  Mauritania  and  the  EU  scientists.  The  collection  of 
scientific data at sea and on land must therefore be significantly strengthened. 

Support vessels.  

With  regard  to  support  vessels  contributing  to  the  fishing  effort  of  EU  tune  seiners,  a 
future protocol may introduce measures for their regulation. 

Landings.  

Demersal fleet is subject to a landing obligation. The non-freezer pelagic fleet is subject 
to a landing obligation within the limits of the reception capacity of the processing units 
at  Nouadhibou  and actual market  demand. For the  categories concerned, the evaluation 
concludes  that  the  terms  of  the  protocol  are  generally  respected.  However,  the  future 
protocol should take into consideration the simplification of administrative procedures on 
the application of these clauses.  

Embarking of seamen.  

The embarkation of Mauritanian seamen provisions were correctly applied by EU ship-
owners. However, some adjustments could be proposed in the event of a possible renewal 
of the protocol: better training in fishing techniques, more rigorous supervision of local 
agents  of  EU  vessels  in  charge  of  Mauritanian  seamen  payments  on  behalf  of  these 
vessels. 

Inspections at sea. 

Partnership with  the EU is  particularly important to  strengthen the fight  against  Illegal, 
unregulated  and  unreported  fishing  (IUU).  The  future  protocol  should  maintain  a 
concentration of some of the resources of the sectoral support for monitoring, control and 
surveillance and ensure the complementarity of national inspection activities with actions 
carried out at regional level to which Mauritania is participating.  

Embarking of observers.  

Provisions  on  observers  should  be  maintained  in  the  future  protocol.  Currently, 
Mauritanian  observers  are  regularly  embarked  on  tuna  seiners  and  EU  tuna  seiner 
operators  contribute  to  their  training  so  that  they  are  operational  and,  in  same  cases, 
involved in their own observer programs  (French purse seiners for example). However, 
concerning  other  categories,  the  required  presence  of  two  Mauritanian  scientific 
observers per  year on EU vessels, measures should be taken to  reinforce this coverage, 
since  it  has  been  low  since  2015.  Improved  data  collection  by  on-board  observing 

5 

 
programs  is  essential  to  provide  sufficient  data  to  assess  the  impact  of  fishing  on 
exploited stocks and ecosystems. 

Sectoral support. 

Sectoral  support  under  current  protocol  has  particularly  focused  on  strengthening 
infrastructures  (notably  the  achievement  of  the  Port  de  Tanit).  For  the  other  identified 
priority actions in the current protocol (monitoring and surveillance, scientific research, 
capacity  building,  small-scale  fisheries),  some  delays  in  the  implementation  have  been 
experienced and are currently being addressed by Mauritanian administration.. The new 
protocol  should  further  strengthen  these  axis  of  intervention.  Furthermore,  the  multi-
annual  programming  of  future  sectoral  support  should  be  based  on  the  expected 
objectives  of  the  national  strategy  for  strengthening  management  and  monitoring 
activities. The scientific activities recommended by the Joint Scientific Committee could 
also  be  funded  by  sectoral  support  and  be  initiated  without  delay.  Sectoral  support 
programming  could  also  include  actions  to  benefit  the  artisanal  fisheries  sector  (from 
landings to distribution, including to local population). Actions for the development and 
monitoring of inland fisheries could also be considered. 

3. 

METHODOLOGY 

The evaluation study was conducted between December 2018 till March 2019, under the 
guidance  of  an  inter-service  Steering  Group  and  within  the  general  framework  of  the 
Terms  of  Reference.  The  methodology  used  in  the  evaluation  included  analysis  of 
documentation and data available, and consultation of Mauritanian and EU stakeholders. 
(more information in Annex 2 of this document). 

The preparation of the evaluation report took into account the guidelines recommended 
by  the  EU,  including  the  "Toolbox"  on  evaluation,  in  particular  on  how  to  assess  the 
impacts  on  third  countries,  and  the  methodological  elements  specific  to  the  external 
dimension of the CFP, such as those concerning the methods of assessment of the socio-
economic benefits of fisheries agreements. 

All in all, the contractor respected all the requirements set by the Steering group, and all 
the  meetings  were  held  without  delay.  There  was  a  very  constructive  communication 
between the Steering  group and the  contractor along the  whole evaluation process,  and 
the cooperation was mutually much appreciated.  

4. 

ANALYSIS AND ANSWERS TO THE EVALUATION QUESTIONS 

The Protocol between the EU and Mauritania generally meets the minimum conditions of 
effectiveness, efficiency, economy relevance, coherence, acceptability and the EU added 
value . The current Protocol can be broadly described as a positive deal for both parties, 
for Mauritania on one side and the EU and ship-owners on the other.  

Effectiveness. The 2015-2019 Protocol is evaluated as being moderately effective for its 
objective  of  contributing  to  the  sustainability  of  resource  exploitation  in  Mauritanian 
waters  mainly  because  of  the  state  of  shared  resources  such  as  small  pelagic  species. 
Moreover,  the  arrangements  for  monitoring  catches  by  EU  vessels  have  not  been 
effective  enough  to  prevent  overruns  in  the  allowable  catch  volumes  for  black  hake. 
Mauritania's transparency on the overall fishing effort is also too partial. 

The protocol has been moderately effective for its objective of protecting the interests of 
the EU's distant fleet. It allows access to important fishing areas for EU fleets, including 
fleets in the Canary Islands, an outermost region (OR) of the EU.  

6 

 
The  protocol  is  globally  effective  for  its  objective  of  supporting  the  development  of 
Mauritania's  fisheries  sector.  It  promotes  the  employment  of  Mauritanian  seamen  and 
participates,  over  the  period  of  the  protocol  (with  the  help  of  sectoral  support),  to 
reinforce the landings of small-scale fisheries by financing infrastructure and governance 
by  supporting  the  services  in  Mauritania  responsible  for  fisheries  management  and 
control. 

Efficiency.  The  efficiency  of  the  protocol  is  average  compared  to  other  APPDs  in  the 
region. The APPD is cost-effective for EU ship-owners, Mauritania and the EU. It is less 
so  for  trawlers  targeting  small  pelagic  fish  because  of  relatively  high  access  fees.  The 
return on investment for the EU is positive but is not as favourable as in other APPDs in 
the region due to the average TAC consumption by trawlers targeting small pelagics. The 
sectoral support for 2008-2012 and 2012-2014 funds has been achieved according to the 
results expected by both parties. However, the implementation of sectoral support 2016-
2018  has  known  some  delays  due  to  overlapping  with  the  sectoral  support  of  previous 
protocols..  

Economy.  The sectoral  support is  also  good, according  to  the economic criterion,  by a 
good absorption of the funds within the deadlines (14 Mio of budget, consumed, in two 
years). However, this concerns 2016-2017, i.e. the consumption of the remaining funds 
of  the  two  previous  protocols.  The  use  of  2015-2019  sectoral  support  funds  by  the 
various  beneficiaries  identified  must,  however,  be  confirmed  in  2019.  The  initial 
programme has been adjusted in 2018 with a concentration of funds at the benefit of the 
infrastructure axis. 

Relevance.  The  relevance  of  the  protocol  is  good  by  putting  in  place  management 
measures,  including  catch  and  vessel,  fishing  gears,  reporting  mechanisms  and 
transparency clauses and taking into account  the  recommendations of regional  fisheries 
organizations. 

Coherence.  The  protocol  is  consistent  with  the  principles  of  the  Common  Fisheries 
Policy (CFP). The protocol is consistent with the networks of APPDs in the region and 
other EU interventions and at the regional level, contributing as much as possible to the 
sustainability,  fisheries  governance  and  sector  development  in  Mauritania.  The 
intervention  of  the  EU  under  a  protocol  brings  an  added  value  compared  to  a  situation 
without a protocol.  

The EU added value. The added value of the EU intervention in the Protocol is clear, as 
the instrument supports implementation of an EU fleet management framework coherent 
with frameworks negotiated under other mixed agreements, while creating a platform for 
sectoral  dialogue  between  the  EU  and  Mauritania.  The  EU’s  financial  contribution  has 
contributed  to  strengthen  the  fisheries  sector  of  Mauritania  as  a  whole.  Compared  to  a 
scenario  where  EU  vessels  negotiate  individually  with  Mauritania  for  access,  the  EU's 
participation  in  the  process  has  ensured  that  the  Protocol  promotes  sustainability  and 
includes  conditions  and  objectives  that  are  consistent  with  the  objectives  the  relevant 
multilateral organisations.  

Acceptability.  While  the  protocol  is  moderately  accepted  by  its  stakeholders,  they  all 
support its renewal. EU trawlers targeting small pelagics consider it less attractive since 
their  fishing  area  limit  has  been  pushed  offshore  and  because  of  relatively  high  access 
cost.  EU  vessels  targeting  shrimps  also  require  adjustments  to  fishing  area  boundaries. 
The  other  categories  claim  a  renewal  with  minor  improvements  including  better 
supervision  of  the  consignees.  The  EU  wants  to  use  more  diversified  sectoral  support 
with  enhanced  coordination  among  donors.  The  Mauritanian  side  deplores  the  average 

7 

 
 
use of fishing opportunities granted by the current Protocol and shares the EU's desire to 
better  regulate  sectoral  support  and  to  diversify  its  target  beneficiaries.  However,  
Mauritanian  authorities  appreciated  the  sectoral  support    contribution  to  the  priority 
objectives  of  their  national  strategy  for  strengthening  landing  infrastructures  and 
institutions.  In  particular,  international  and  local  civil  society  calls  for  the  effective 
application  of  the  transparency  clause  and  a  strengthening  of  the  sectoral  dialogue  in 
Mauritania for the preparation and implementation of sectoral support. 

6. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  contractor  has  fully  addressed  the  evaluation  questions  and  provided  the 
Commission with concrete, reliable and credible results. Based on these observations, the 
contractor  has  drawn  conclusions  based  on  objective  analysis  and  made  specific  and 
relevant  recommendations  for  future  negotiations  on  the  new  protocol  between  the  EU 
and Mauritania.    

Therefore,  from  all  options  considered  the  renewal  of  the  Protocol  at  the  end  of  its 
implementation period (15 November 2019) clearly appears as the preferred option. Any 
other option would not bring the same benefits, including the option of not renewing the 
Protocol. A future Protocol should retain a similar technical and financial approach with 
some technical adaptations aimed at improving the implementing conditions of its access 
and  sectoral  support  components.  The  Protocol  can  be  broadly  described  as  a  positive 
agreement addressing the identified needs of the different stakeholders.  

The result of the evaluation and lessons learned from other similar interventions lead to 
the  adoption  of  recommendations  with  a  view  to  addressing  issues  that  need  to  be 
considered and resolved in the future protocol. 

With regard to access conditions, this concerns notably: the application of strict measures 
to  comply  with  the  TACs;  the  establishment  of  an  annual  payment  mechanism  for  EU 
financial compensation better connected to the actual activities of EU fishing vessels to 
avoid  additional  costs  for  the  EU;  effective  and  full  implementation  of  a  transparency 
clause for fishing activities in Mauritania.  

In terms of scientific management, it is recommended to have improved data collection 
through  onboard  observing  programs,  funding  (or  continuing  to  fund)  scientific  studies 
recommended by the Scientific Committee. The establishment of a regional management 
framework  for  the  exploitation  of  shared  stocks  of  small  pelagics  for  the  adoption  of 
regional  conservation  measures  to  align  fishing  efforts  with  sustainable  levels  is  also 
relevant.  This regional management framework is also becoming a necessity for shared 
management of black hake stocks. 

With regard to  the sectoral  support component, the Mauritanian authorities and the  EU 
both  wish  to  operationalize  the  sectoral  support  implementation  unit  for  rigorous 
management and monitoring of its funds  and activities. The multi-annual  programming 
of a future sectoral support should be established on the basis of the expected objectives 
of the national strategy.  

To  sum  up,  the  Commission  supports  the  conclusions  of  the  assessment  made  by  the 
contractor. 

8 

 
Annex 1: Procedural information 

1.  LEAD DG, DeCIDE PLANNING/CWP REFERENCES 

Responsable DG: DG MARE – Maritime Affairs and Fisheries/ PLAN/2018/2892 

2.  ORGANISATION AND TIMING 

Tasks 

Time 

Signature of the contract  

10 December 2018 

Kick-off meeting 

Report of the Kick-off meeting 

Submission of the inception report  

Comments to the inception report 

20.12.2018 

21.12.2018 

31.12.2018 

09.01.2019 

Meeting to discuss inception report 

n/a (exchanges by email) 

Submission of the draft final report 

18 February 2019 

Meeting to discuss draft final report  

28 February 2019 

Submission of the final report  

28 March 2019 

3.  EXCEPTIONS TO THE BETTER REGULATION GUIDELINES 

The  legal  and  procedural  requirements  for  the  preparation  of  the  renewal  of  fisheries 
protocols  lead  to  a  tight  schedule,  which  prevents  the  holding  of  an  open  public 
consultation. Moreover, the impact of SFPA is relatively limited, as they focus on a small 
number of stakeholders. The consultation strategy excludes open public consultations. 

4.  CONSULTATION OF THE RSB (IF APPLICABLE) 

The Contractor used data provided by  DG MARE and DG DEVCO and  the interviews 
with  the  authorities  of  Mauritania,  EU  Member  States  concerned,  representatives  or 
associations of fishing ship-owners, NGOs and civil society. 

5.  EVIDENCE, SOURCES AND QUALITY 

The evaluation process and the final evaluation report was subject to a quality assessment 
by the Steering Committee. 

9 

 
 
Annex 2: Stakeholder consultation 

Questionnaire sent to stakeholders 

  What is your view on the Protocol approved by the EU Council and the European 

Parliament?   

  Are you generally satisfied with the way the European Commission has managed 

the fisheries agreement with Mauritania?   

  Do you attend Joint Committee meetings?  And why?   
 

If  necessary,  what  would  be  the  best  ways  to  improve  the  functioning  of  joint 
committees?   

  Do you have difficulties in the implementation of follow-up measures allocated to 

 

Member States in the context of the agreement?   
If the protocol was renewed in 2019, perhaps to change compared to the current 
Protocol?   

  Do you have any other comments to make on this SFPA? 

Background  

In line with the implementation of the Commission guidelines and the better regulation 
‘toolbox’,  a  consultation  strategy  was  presented  during  the  preparation  of  the 
negotiations for the renewal of protocols to the fisheries partnership agreements (SFPAs).   
The strategy has had to define the best means of achieving relevant stakeholders both in 
the EU and in the partner country concerned.   

Objectives  

The aim of the consultation:   

1.  To  obtain  stakeholders’  views  on  the  implementation  of  the  previous  protocol  or 
ongoing,  as  well  as  on  the  possible  renewal  of  the  protocol,  including  the  different 
options;   

2. To use the results of this consultation in the evaluation report (working document to be 
developed by Commission services following the evaluation study will be prepared by an 
external contractor before the opening of negotiations.   

Approach to consultation of stakeholders  

The  main  stakeholders  concerned  with  the  Protocol,  which  have  been  consulted  in  the 
form of interview or through the form sent, are as follows: 1) Member States flag ships 
beneficiaries; 2) representatives or associations of ship-owners in the beneficiaries of this 
Protocol;  3)  non-governmental  organisations  (NGOs);  4)  The  partner  country 
administrations;  5) the private sector and civil society. 

Detailed results of the stakeholder consultation  

These results are presented in Annex 16 of the study.6 

6  Etude  d'évaluation:  Evaluation  rétrospective  et  prospective  du  Protocole  à  l’accord  de  partenariat  dans  le  domaine  de  la  pêche 

durable entre l’UE et la RIM, 2019 

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Number of replies received: 19  

Total number of organizations consulted: 35 

Response rate: 54% 

The views of the organizations are synthesized in the main text of the evaluation report, 
in  particular in  the ex-post evaluation  chapters of the  current  protocol and ex ante of a 
possible future protocol. 

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ANNEXE 3:  

ANALYTICAL METHODS AND MODELS USED TO DEVELOP THE 
EVALUATION 

Economic analysis 

A harmonised methodology has been developed for the economic analysis of tuna fleets, 
which fish under SFPAs and under RFMOs.  This methodology has been adapted by its 
authors to also allow the economic analysis of pelagic and demersal fleets.  

Data used correspond to data provided by the EU Member States to the contractor. 

Science 

The  analysis  of  scientific  advice  on  stock  status  and  recommendations  focuses  on  the 
potential and status of the stocks of each of the species targeted under the protocol. The 
evaluators  did  not  carry  out  stock  assessments  as  such,  but  used  the  latest  available 
scientific  advice  from  CECAF  and  ICCAT,  as  well  as  by  the  Joint  Scientific  Meeting 
foreseen by the Protocol, and the most recent management measures adopted by ICCAT 
for the tuna fishery. 

Data on catches and fishing authorizations 

Catch  data  for  EU  vessels  used  in  the  assessment  were  taken  from  the  European 
Commission  consolidated  catch  database,  which  is  updated  by  Member  States. 
Information  on  fishing  authorisations  granted  by  Mauritania  to  EU  vessels  has  been 
extracted  from  the  Commission's  database  on  fishing  authorisations.  For  fishing 
authorisations, data for 2015-2018 are final, while for catches data are provisional. 

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