16/5/2003
EU / Mauritania workshop on fisheries partnership

A two-day workshop on Partnership in Fisheries, organised jointly by the European Commission and the Mauritanian authorities, opened its doors this week in Las Palmas. Among the 120 plus participants were representatives of the European and Mauritanian fishing sectors as well as representatives from the European Investment Bank and the EU-ACP programmes for investment promotion.

The workshop focused on investment opportunities for European private investors in Mauritania. The Commission has recently proposed to move EU fisheries agreements, particularly those with developing countries, towards partnership agreements for the mutual benefit of the parties involved. The aim is twofold: to ensure that the interests of the EU distant water fleets are protected and that the conditions to achieve sustainable fisheries in the waters of the partner concerned are strengthened.

The EU and Mauritania have had a fisheries agreement since 1987. This agreement is the most important one for the EU in terms of fishing possibilities for EU vessels and with regard to the financial contribution. Vessels operating under this Agreement come from Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland.