Council Decision (EU) 2025/2625 of 12 November 2025 on the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional application of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032)
Date: 2025-11-12
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Cook Islands, agreement (EU), catch area, catch quota, fishing agreement, fishing rights, interim agreement (EU), protocol to an agreement, sea fishing, signature of an agreement, sustainable fisheries








L_202502625EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/2625


23.12.2025







            COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2025/2625
         
of 12 November 2025
         
on the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional application of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032)


THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43, in conjunction with Article 218(5) thereof,


Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:







(1)


On 28 February 2017, the Council adopted Decision (EU) 2017/418 (1) on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2) (the ‘Agreement’). The Agreement entered into force on 10 May 2017.












(2)


The previous protocol on the implementation of the Agreement expired on 16 December 2024.












(3)


On 23 September 2024, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with the Government of the Cook Islands for a new protocol on the implementation of the Agreement. The negotiations were successfully concluded by the initialling, on 20 June 2025, of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032) (the ‘Protocol’).












(4)


The aim of the Protocol is to allow Union vessels to fish in the fishing zone of the Cook Islands, to enable the Union and the Government of the Cook Islands to work closely together to further promote the development of a sustainable fisheries policy and the responsible exploitation of fisheries resources in the fishing zone of the Cook Islands and in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, and to contribute to the creation of decent working conditions in the fishing industry.












(5)


The Protocol should therefore be signed.












(6)


In view of the economic importance of the Union fishing activities in the Cook Islands’ fishing zone and of the need to minimise the time during which such activities are interrupted, the Protocol should apply on a provisional basis as from the date of its signature.












(7)


As the Protocol covers more than one financial year, the related budgetary commitments may be broken down into annual instalments over the duration of the Protocol, in accordance with Article 112(2) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).












(8)


The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) and delivered an opinion on 11 November 2025 (5),





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
The signing, on behalf of the Union, of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032) (the ‘Protocol’) is hereby authorised, subject to the conclusion of the said Protocol.


Article 2
The Protocol shall be applied on a provisional basis, in accordance with Article 13 thereof, as from the date of its signature, pending the completion of the procedures necessary for its entry into force.


Article 3
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.




Done at Brussels, 12 November 2025.


For the Council


The President

J. JENSEN
            





(1)  Council Decision (EU) 2017/418 of 28 February 2017 on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands and the Implementation Protocol thereto (OJ L 64, 10.3.2017, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2017/418/oj).

(2)  
            OJ L 131, 20.5.2016, p. 3, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2016/776/oj.

(3)  Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2509/oj).

(4)  Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1725/oj).

(5)  Not yet published in the Official Journal.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/2625/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)