COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION of the Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the Gabonese Republic and the European Community accompanying the document: Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations on behalf of the European Union on a sustainable fisheries partnership agreement, and an implementing protocol thereto, with the Gabonese Republic
Date: 2025-09-08
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: European Commission, Gabon, catch area, fishing agreement, fishing rights, negotiation of an agreement (EU), powers of the institutions (EU), protocol to an agreement, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries

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  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 8.9.2025  SWD(2025) 252 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  of the Protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the Gabonese Republic and the European Community accompanying the document: Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations on behalf of the European Union on a sustainable fisheries partnership agreement, and an implementing protocol thereto, with the Gabonese Republic {COM(2025) 465 final} - {SWD(2025) 251 final}  
 
 
The Commission is responsible for negotiating implementing protocols to sustainable fisheries 
partnership agreements (SFPAs) with non-EU countries, and for implementing them, as part of 
the  external  dimension  of  the  EU’s  common  fisheries  policy  (CFP)1.  SFPAs  create  a  legal, 
environmental, economic and social governance framework for fishing activities carried out by 
EU  fishing  vessels  in  non-EU  waters.  In  return,  the  EU  pays  financial  compensation  to  the 
partner country for access to its waters and provides financial support for its implementation of 
a national strategy on fisheries and the blue economy. The EU contribution is supplemented by 
fees payable by EU vessel owners. 

Before  submitting  a  recommendation  to  the  Council  asking  it  to  authorise  the  opening  of 
negotiations  for  a  new  protocol  to  a  sustainable  fisheries  partnership  agreement,  the 
Commission  ensures  that  independent  ex  ante  and  ex  post  evaluations  are  carried  out  in 
accordance with Article 31(10) of the CFP Basic Regulation1.  

This staff working document is an ex post evaluation of the current implementing protocol (‘the 
implementing protocol’) to the fisheries partnership agreement between the European Union 
and  the  Gabonese  Republic  (‘the  Agreement’)  and  an  ex  ante  evaluation  of  any  future 
agreement, mainly based on an independent evaluation carried out by an external consultant2. 
The external consultant carried out extensive stakeholder consultations both in the EU and in 
Gabon. Throughout the evaluation process, the consultant interacted with EU and Gabonese 
authorities to collect their views on the implementation of the 2021-2026 protocol and how they 
would like the partnership to develop. 

The period of application of the current implementing protocol is from 29 June 2019 to 28 June 
2026, and the ex post evaluation covers most of that period (up to April 2025). It provides an 
overall  assessment  of  the  implementing  protocol,  drawing  conclusions  on  its  effectiveness, 
efficiency, relevance, coherence and acceptance and the EU added value of the intervention. 
The precise questions used in the evaluation, based on these criteria, are set out in Annex III 
and further details are provided in Section 4.  

The ex ante evaluation analyses the relevant objectives of the agreement and the implementing 
protocol, taking into account the current and future needs of the intervention. It examines the 
lessons learned from previous implementing protocols and the results of the ex post evaluation 
of the current protocol. Lastly, the evaluation considers and draws conclusions on the possible 
impacts  of  the  two  main  policy  options  available:  negotiating  or  not  negotiating  a  new 
implementing protocol.   

The ex ante evaluation favours the option of negotiating a new sustainable fisheries partnership 
agreement and an implementing protocol thereto with some adjustments: 

•  Any negotiation on renewing the current protocol should be accompanied by the negotiation 
of an SFPA to replace the fisheries partnership agreement concluded in 2007, i.e. before the 
CFP reform. Concluding an SFPA will bring the fisheries agreement with Gabon into line 

1Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the 
Common Fisheries Policy (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22). 
2 https://op.europa.eu/fr/search-
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with  current  CFP requirements, in  particular in  terms  of sustainability  and a governance 
framework. 

•  As  regards  access  to  resources,  adjustments  should  be  made  to  the  reference  tonnage  to 

reflect the EU fleet’s current and past catches and its prospective future catches. 

•  The option of the future protocol including a new category of commercial fishing targeting 
deep-sea  crustaceans  should  be  considered  if  the  available  scientific  advice  and  other 
relevant information are in favour.  

•  The sectoral  support included in  the protocol  should be adjusted to  enable the parties to 
effectively  implement  the  agreed  priorities  in  line  with  Gabon’s  national  development 
policy. 

•  This should ensure continued cooperation on ocean governance, fisheries science, fisheries 
monitoring  and  control  and  the  fight  against  illegal,  unreported  and  unregulated  (IUU) 
fishing.   

•  A faster pace of implementation should be sought through improved planning and better 

programme definition. 

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