COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION to the Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Guinea-Bissau Accompanying the document Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of the negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of an Implementing Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Date: 2024-01-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: Guinea-Bissau, catch area, catch quota, fishing agreement, fishing rights, negotiation of an agreement (EU), protocol to an agreement, ratification of an agreement, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.1.2024  SWD(2024) 6 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  to the Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Guinea-Bissau  Accompanying the document Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of the negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of an Implementing Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau      {COM(2024) 10 final} - {SWD(2024) 5 final}  
 
 
In  the  framework  of  the  external  dimension  of  the  EU's  Common  Fishery  Policy  (CFP)1,  the 
Commission  negotiates  and  implements  the  implementing  protocols  to  Sustainable  Fisheries 
Partnership  Agreements  (SFPAs)  with  third  countries.  The  SFPAs  create  a  legal,  environmental 
economic and social governance framework for fishing activities carried out by Union fishing vessels 
in third country waters. In exchange, the EU provides a partner country with financial compensation 
for access to its waters and financial assistance to implement a national strategy for fisheries and blue 
economy. The EU contribution is complemented by fees payable by EU vessel owners. 

According to Article 31(10) of the CFP Basic Regulation1, the European Commission shall arrange for 
independent  ex-ante  and  ex-post  evaluations  for  each  implementing  protocol  to  a  SFPA,  before  it 
submits  to  the  Council  of  the  EU  a  recommendation  to  authorise  the  opening  of  negotiations  for  a 
successor protocol.  

This  Staff  Working  Document  (SWD)  makes  an  ex-ante  and  an  ex-post  evaluation  covering  the 
application  of  the  current  implementing  Protocol  (hereinafter,  the  implementing  Protocol)  of  the 
Fisheries  Partnership  concluded  between  the  EU  and  the  Republic  of  Guinea-Bissau  Agreement 
(hereinafter, the Agreement). These evaluations are primarily informed by an independent evaluation 
study conducted by an external consultant2. 

The ex-post evaluation covers most of the period of application of the current implementing Protocol 
of the Agreement, starting from the June 2019 to June 2023. It provides an overall assessment of the 
implementing  Protocol  and  demonstrates  that  the  Protocol  has  generally  succeeded  in  achieving  its 
main  objectives,  including:  providing  fishing  opportunities  for  Union  fishing  vessels  in  important 
fishing  areas;  establishing  a  legal  framework  for  fishing  operations  guided  by  principles  on  the 
economic, financial, technical, and scientific cooperation in the fisheries sector with a view to ensure 
the  conservation  and  sustainable  exploitation  of  fisheries  resources;  and  empowering  Guinea-Bissau 
through capacity building, and ensured compliance with regulations, safeguarding the interests of both 
the EU and Guinea-Bissau. 

The  ex-post  also  identified  some  areas  for  improvement  stemming  from  the  main  challenges 
encountered  on  the  implementation  of  the  current  implementing  Protocol,  including:  the  failure  to 
transition  from  a  fisheries  management  system  based  on  fishing  capacity  to  catch  limits;  the  under-
utilisation  of  certain  fishing  opportunities;  delays  in  the  used  of  sectoral  support  funds  by  Guinea-
Bissau; and a lack of communication and visibility on the benefits of the Protocol. 

The  ex-ante  evaluation  analyses  the  relevant  objectives  for  the  Agreement  and  its  implementing 
protocol, considering the current and future needs for this intervention. It considers the lessons learned 
from  previous  implementing  protocols  and  the  results  of  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the  current 
implementing Protocol. Finally, it considers and draws conclusions on the possible impacts from the 
following three policy options: 

•  A renegotiation of the current implementing Protocol for the Agreement;  

•  A negotiation of an improved implementing protocol for the Agreement;  

1 Regulation (EU) 1380/2013 of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy (OJ L354, 28.12.2013, p. 
22) 
2 Étude d'évaluation rétrospective et prospective du protocole à l'accord de partenariat dans le secteur de la pêche 
entre l'Union européenne et la Guinée-Bissau (2023) 

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•  No negotiation of an implementing protocol for the Agreement.  

The  ex-ante  evaluation  identifies  the  following  preferred  policy  option:  the  negotiation  of  a  new 
implementing protocol for the Agreement, with some adjustments. In terms of the access and technical 
component, these adjustments would aim ensure greater alignment between the fishing opportunities 
negotiated  and  the  effective  use  of  these  opportunities  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  the  EU’s 
investment.  In  terms  of  the  sectoral  support  component,  adjustments  will  enable  both  parties  to 
maintain  a  bilateral  sectoral  partnership  framework to  support  the implementation  of  the  2023-2027 
National Fisheries and Aquaculture Strategy of Guinea-Bissau, allowing for continued cooperation on 
ocean governance, fisheries science, monitoring and control, the fight against illegal, unreported and 
unregulated (IUU fishing), amongst others.   

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