European Parliament non-legislative resolution of 8 June 2022 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Implementing Protocol thereto (12208/2021 — C9-0419/2021 — 2021/0300M(NLE))
Date: 2022-06-08
Institutions: Committee on Budgets, Committee on Development, Committee on Fisheries, Committee on International Trade, European Parliament
Subjects: Mauritania, agreement (EU), fishing agreement, fishing area, fishing rights, protocol to an agreement, ratification of an agreement, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries








C_2022493EN.01015201.xml










27.12.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 493/152






P9_TA(2022)0229
EU/Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Implementing Protocol (Resolution)
European Parliament non-legislative resolution of 8 June 2022 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Implementing Protocol thereto (12208/2021 — C9-0419/2021 — 2021/0300M(NLE))
(2022/C 493/20)

The European Parliament,







—


having regard to the draft Council decision (12208/2021),










—


having regard to Council Decision (EU) 2021/99 of 25 January 2021 on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on an extension to the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, expiring on 15 November 2021 (1),










—


having regard to the Council Decision (EU) 2021/2123 of 11 November 2021 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Implementing Protocol thereto (2),










—


having regard to its legislative resolution of 8 June 2022 (3) on the draft decision,










—


having regard to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, which entered into force on 8 August 2008 (4),










—


having regard to the Partnership Agreement on sustainable fisheries between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (5),










—


having regard to its resolution of 3 May 2022 toward a sustainable blue economy in the EU: the role of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors (6),










—


having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 43(2) and Article 218(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (C9-0419/2021),










—


having regard to the Partnership Agreement of 23 June 2000 between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (7) (the Cotonou Agreement),










—


having regard to the publication of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of 2015 entitled ‘Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication’,










—


having regard to the 2020 summary report of the FAO Working Group on the assessment of small pelagic fish off Northwest Africa 2019,










—


having regard to the common fisheries policy, especially its external dimension,










—


having regard to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,










—


having regard to the EU’s commitment to policy coherence for development, as enshrined in Article 208 TFEU,










—


having regard to the Commission’s ex ante and ex post assessments of the previous agreement and protocol,










—


having regard to the report of the extraordinary meeting of the Joint Scientific Committee on the Fisheries Agreement signed between the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the European Union, which took place between 10 and 12 February 2021,










—


having regard to its resolution of 20 October 2021 on a farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system (8),










—


having regard to Rule 105(2) of its Rules of Procedure,










—


having regard to the opinions of the Committee on International Trade and Committee on Development,










—


having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A9-0154/2022),










A.


whereas the implementation of sustainable fisheries partnership agreements (SFPAs) must be in line with the best scientific advice available to ensure sustainable fishing operations that only utilise the surplus allowable catch in the partner country; whereas sectoral support should contribute to the sustainable development of the fisheries sector, notably via support for small-scale fisheries, while also strengthening local food security and local communities;










B.


whereas the first fisheries agreement between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania dates back to 1987 and whereas the latest implementing protocol, which had an initial duration of four years from 2015 to 2019, was twice extended for one year and expired on 15 November 2021;










C.


whereas the Union and Mauritania reached an agreement on a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Protocol on 28 July 2021;










D.


whereas several SFPAs have been signed by the European Union and African countries;










E.


whereas the new protocol covers a period of five years and provides similar fishing opportunities to the previous protocol, with the Union’s financial contribution for access to fisheries amounting to EUR 57,5 million a year and its contribution to sectoral support totalling EUR 16,5 million;










F.


whereas the Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Mauritania is the EU’s largest mixed agreement; whereas it provides fishing opportunities for vessels from 10 Member States targeting demersal and pelagic species which, like tuna, are highly migratory species, within the limits of the available surplus as defined in Article 62 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, taking into account the fishing capacity of the Mauritanian fleets;










G.


whereas the overfishing of small pelagic stocks, especially Sardinella, and the processing of them into fishmeal and fish oil cause enormous damage not only to local waters, for instance through waste-water pollution, but also to the food security of local populations throughout the West African region; whereas in 2017, Mauritania committed to reducing and gradually phasing out fishmeal and fish oil production by 2020; whereas since 2010, their production has tripled and there has been an expansion of fishmeal factories in Mauritania and neighbouring countries;










H.


whereas robust scientific data, efficient monitoring, control systems and transparency on catches and fishing licences are necessary for coastal states to determine the available surplus of shared stocks of small pelagics and to ensure that management decisions for stocks can be taken such that they are not harvested above scientific limits; whereas regarding the management of small pelagics in Mauritania, the 2021 report of the extraordinary meeting of the Joint Scientific Committee supported additional measures to reduce fishing efforts in the country’s 15 nautical miles fishing zone, such as introducing quotas for stocks that have been scientifically confirmed to be overexploited;










I.


whereas sectoral support under the new protocol is geared towards eight areas of intervention; whereas these include, inter alia, support for artisanal fisheries and coastal communities, the strengthening of scientific research and the strengthening of control and surveillance activities and technical support to the Mauritanian authorities; whereas the joint committee will approve a multiannual sectoral programme for the use of such support; whereas the Mauritanian authorities have an obligation to submit a final report on the implementation of sectoral support;










J.


whereas the new protocol establishes a new coordination body (cellule de coordination) to support the implementation of the projects defined in the programme and that will be responsible for monitoring the decisions of the joint committee;










K.


whereas Article 7 of the new protocol allows the Union and Mauritania to review the fishing opportunities in the third year of implementation, respecting the sustainability of resources in the fishing area and involving an adjustment of the EU’s financial contribution;










L.


whereas the new protocol introduces differing vessel owners’ fees for category 6 (pelagic freezer trawlers) which are more in accordance with the market value of each specific pelagic species fished for;










M.


whereas Article 3 of the new agreement states that the EU fleet has to benefit from the same technical conditions for fishing and access to resources as all other fleets; whereas the same article requires the strengthening of the exchange of information and obliges Mauritania to make public all agreements allowing foreign vessels into its fishing zone;










N.


whereas the new protocol modifies and enlarges the fishing zone for small pelagics for EU vessels; whereas Article 9 of the protocol requires Mauritania to draw up, within six months of the protocol’s implementation, a sustainable management plan for small pelagic fisheries, applicable to all fleets fishing in Mauritanian waters as a condition for the establishment of the new fishing zone; whereas EUR 7,5 million of the Union's financial contribution is conditional on the approval of this management plan by the joint committee;










O.


whereas the new protocol allows EU vessels to land their catch outside Mauritanian ports in exceptional circumstances, a long-standing request of the EU fishing vessels active in Mauritania;










P.


whereas the Commission’s assessment of the previous protocol called for the establishment of a regional management framework for the exploitation of shared stocks of small pelagics and black hake, as is required by Article 63 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;












1.


Welcomes the conclusion of a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Protocol between the Union and Mauritania, which is designed to improve and modernise the existing agreement; considers it positive that no additional one-year extensions to the previous protocol will henceforth be required or will be resolved if they are not strictly necessary, without harming the European fleet;












2.


Welcomes equally the upgrade of the partnership agreement to a full SFPA and points out that these types of agreements are a good foundation for cooperation on ocean governance and sustainable management of fish stocks; stresses the importance of ensuring that the principles of sustainable management as enshrined in the common fisheries policy are reflected in the Union's fisheries agreements, including in their implementation;












3.


Points out that this agreement strengthens environmental, economic, social, administrative and scientific cooperation in order to enhance sustainable fisheries, contribute to improved ocean governance, combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, monitor and control fishing activities and contribute to both the transparent implementation of the agreement and job creation in compliance with the 2007 International Labour Organization (ILO) Work in Fishing Convention (No 188); underlines that the partnership must offer guarantees and protection for all workers on EU vessels; highlights the importance of fair competition for all fishers operating in Mauritanian waters;












4.


Recognises the importance of the new agreement and protocol in terms of the considerable fishing opportunities for the EU fleet and as a platform for continued structured cooperation between the Union and Mauritania, especially in the field of sustainable fisheries management and in maintaining the European fleet;












5.


Calls on Mauritania to ensure that no overfishing of small pelagics takes place and to halt and phase out negative impacts caused by the fishmeal and fish oil industry in Mauritania; calls for the EU, within the framework of the SFPA, to contribute to these objectives; notes that fish should primarily be used for human consumption and not as raw material for the food processing industry, and that it is important that local authorities be involved and cooperate in this;












6.


Welcomes the requirement in the new protocol for Mauritania to publish a plan for the sustainable management of small pelagics that will apply to all vessels fishing in Mauritanian waters; urges Mauritania to draw on the conclusions of the 2021 report of the extraordinary meeting of the Joint Scientific Committee and to apply, where needed, a precautionary approach based on science when drafting such a plan;












7.


Stresses the commitment of the parties to promote fisheries management on the basis of non-discrimination between the different fleets present in the area and that Union vessels should have access to an appropriate share of the surplus fishery resources in line with the best available scientific advice;












8.


Welcomes the transparency and non-discrimination clauses in the new agreement and protocol and urges the Commission to ensure that these clauses are fully implemented and adhered to; notes that transparency rules already existed in the previous agreement, but were not fully adhered to;












9.


Demands that Mauritania inform the Commission of all public and private agreements with foreign vessels operating in its fishing zone, including vessels from third countries, and that this information be included in the annual report to be sent by the Commission to Parliament; expresses concern that, so far, some fisheries agreements with third countries have not been published by Mauritania;












10.


Notes the exchange of information required by the protocol with regard to reports on the activities of foreign fleets and foreign-owned domestic fleets operating in Mauritanian waters; calls on Mauritania to provide full information to the Commission on all vessels fishing in its waters in a clear and user-friendly format that allows for a clear overall picture of the total fishing effort, catches per species and status of stocks; calls on Mauritania to make this information publicly available; notes that this is a condition for calculating the ‘surplus’ in the spirit of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;












11.


Welcomes Mauritania’s publication of the first report for the Fisheries Transparency Initiative; notes that the report is based on information from the 2018 calendar year; calls on Mauritania to publish more recent data;












12.


Expresses concern regarding the practice of reflagging in Mauritanian waters, in particular, and in the region in general;












13.


Considers that the Union, given its network of fisheries partnership agreements and SFPAs in force in Northwest Africa, has a role to play in encouraging Mauritania and its neighbouring countries to intensify cooperation in the management of shared stocks, specifically in identifying stocks and fishing opportunities, such as stocks important for local food security; specifically points out the importance for the Union of actively engaging with its partners in the area in order to ensure sustainable management decisions in the relevant regional fisheries management organisation; calls for the EU, Mauritania and neighbouring countries to support the implementation of a comprehensive regional management framework for shared stocks, through the setting up of a regional fisheries management organisation for those stocks and by initiating an international dialogue with the countries concerned;












14.


Welcomes the commitment from all parties to implement the agreement transparently and in accordance with the Cotonou Agreement with regard to human rights, democratic principles, the rule of law and good governance; calls for specific attention to be paid to human rights in Mauritania, including in the fisheries sector, with a specific emphasis on working conditions; notes that failure to implement the Cotonou Agreement in relation to respect for human rights may trigger suspension according to its Article 21 and Article 14 of the new implementing protocol;












15.


Notes that the ex post evaluation of the previous protocol concludes that overall, Mauritania and the EU captured a similar share of added value of between 40 and 45 % each; notes that it states, however, that the added value induced for Mauritania by the activities of EU vessels is relatively low in the absence of economic interactions on land; calls, in this regard, for the EU to explore ways to improve this situation under the new protocol;












16.


Notes that Mauritania has had difficulty in absorbing sectoral support; calls on the Commission, therefore, to provide technical assistance for the preparation and implementation of the multiannual sectoral programme and to reinforce administrative capacities in Mauritania, notably for the new coordination body;












17.


Sees sectoral support as an important element to develop the Mauritanian fisheries sector and provide jobs in coastal communities;












18.


Welcomes sectoral support under axes 6 and 7; calls on the joint committee to promote infrastructure projects that will lead to increased local consumption of fish products and to finance projects that directly benefit the whole value chain for Mauritanian small-scale fisheries;












19.


Calls for more sectoral support projects to help women in the Mauritanian fisheries sector, notably those involved in processing; recognises the importance of such projects for local food security and requests that women be invited to participate in workshops for the presentation and programming of support actions;












20.


Stresses that one of the general problems with sectoral support in the Union’s SFPAs is the lack of visibility, accessibility and transparency; welcomes, therefore, the visibility and publicity measures taken as regards the activities associated with the implementation of the protocol, enabling its benefits to be fully visible and accessible to all concerned; notes that improved implementation and utilisation is needed in order to increase sectoral support, including its effectiveness;












21.


Calls on the Commission and Mauritania to improve and speed up the implementation of sectoral support and to increase transparency, especially in the area of fishing licences; welcomes, therefore, the publication of annual reports on the ways in which sectoral support is utilised and calls for them to be made public; suggests that Parliament be presented with the actions or measures with the greatest relevance or impact on the parts of Mauritanian territory or society that are eligible for this sectoral aid;












22.


Points out that there is a need for better data collection on stocks in Mauritanian waters and that the implementation of the SFPA must be based on the best available scientific advice; believes that sectoral support should be used to support artisanal fisheries and as a priority to improve scientific data on fish stocks, especially on shared stocks of small pelagics such as Sardinella species and horse mackerel, and on control and surveillance activities of all fleets fishing in their fishing grounds;












23.


Stresses the importance of scientific data on stocks, proper data collection and better monitoring so that the new protocol can increase and improve coverage by scientific observers, which should especially be the objective for third-country fishing vessels;












24.


Encourages the Commission to facilitate participation and exchange between experts and scientists within the framework of this agreement and during its implementation, if necessary for the assessment of the different species and the operation of the agreement;












25.


Welcomes the fact that the new protocol allows an adjustment of the EU’s financial contribution and of fishing opportunities in its third year of application; calls on the Commission to make use of this flexibility if necessary;












26.


Welcomes the new rules on vessel owners’ fees and hopes that this and other improvements to the protocol, including the possibility for EU vessels to land their catch in non-Mauritanian ports in exceptional circumstances, will lead to a better use of available fishing opportunities in the future;












27.


Welcomes and recognises that Union ship owners of pelagic freezer trawlers and shrimp vessels fishing under the protocol, as a fee in kind, should continue to contribute to the policy of distributing fish to people in need by reserving 2 % of their pelagic catches trans-shipped or landed at the end of a trip for the Société nationale de distribution de poisson (National Fish Distribution Company); notes that local fish consumption is increasing in Mauritania; calls on the Commission and the Mauritanian authorities to ensure that this contribution actually reaches the population and does not end up in fishmeal factories;












28.


Underlines the commitment to implement the principles and rights of the ILO for all fishers on EU vessels in order to eliminate discrimination in employment and occupation; considers that this implementation should be monitored;












29.


Welcomes the employment of qualified Mauritanian seafarers on EU vessels on contracts that comply with ILO standards and include social cover; calls for greater efforts to employ trainees in order to increase the number of qualified persons in the sectoral programme;












30.


Calls on the Commission to include SFPAs as a key element in the EU’s partnership with Africa;












31.


Welcomes projects funded by EU development aid in Mauritania such as ‘Promopeche’, which aims to create jobs and train young people in the field of artisanal fisheries; calls on the Commission to improve alignment and consistency between the SFPA and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);












32.


Stresses that fishing, including small-scale fisheries, is an important sector for Mauritania’s economy and is essential to the country’s economic development, food security, nutrition and employment opportunities, in particular for women and young people, and for ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic development for all; supports, therefore, measures to significantly increase the resilience of local actors, including small family-owned businesses and coastal communities, to the consequences of climate change and coastal erosion; insists that investments in fisheries must be clearly aligned with the SDGs and not jeopardise the needs of coastal communities; insists that the financial contribution provided for under the new agreement should be distributed in a way that takes account of the fundamental role of coastal communities;












33.


Calls for the fostering of local and regional economic development and the strengthening of coastal communities that are dependent on marine resources and which must therefore be fully integrated into the management of marine and coastal areas; recalls that the restoration of marine and coastal biodiversity sustains coastal communities and contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation; underlines the need for regular consultation with coastal communities throughout the implementation process;












34.


Acknowledges that EU markets and producers depend on imports of fish from Mauritania, among other countries, to guarantee the availability of food to EU consumers;












35.


Demands that further EU efforts under this SFPA must focus on putting an end to harmful and unsustainable fish subsidies within the World Trade Organization and other international bodies, paying particular attention to illegal fishing;












36.


Requests that the EU legal acquis, including rulings by the Court of Justice of the EU, be respected and duly applied in fisheries in Mauritania and its surrounding area;












37.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.






(1)  OJ L 34, 1.2.2021, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 439, 8.12.2021, p. 1.

(3)  Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0228.

(4)  OJ L 343, 8.12.2006, p. 4.

(5)  OJ L 439, 8.12.2021, p. 3.

(6)  Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0135.

(7)  OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.

(8)  OJ C 184, 5.5.2022, p. 2.