The European Parliament adopted by 575 votes to 58, with 57 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania concerning the extension of 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 2019.

Following the recommendation of the Committee on Fisheries, the European Parliament gave its approval to the conclusion of the Agreement.

On 8 July 2019 the Council adopted the mandate authorising the European Commission to open negotiations for the renewal of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (IRM) and the protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Partnership Agreement, which expires on 15 November 2019.

In view of the complexity of the negotiations, the two parties have agreed to extend the current Protocol for a maximum period of one year. They established this extension by an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters, which they initialled on 4 September 2019 in Brussels.

The Protocol sets out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania, which expires on 15 November 2019.

The Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters will enable the European Union and Mauritania to continue working together to promote a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of fisheries resources in Mauritanian waters and to enable EU vessels to pursue their fishing activities in those waters.

CONTENT: to conclude the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania concerning the 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 2019.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: in accordance with a Council Decision, the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters concerning the extension of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania, expiring on 15 November 2019, was signed. It is now necessary for it to be approved.

CONTENT: the draft Council Decision concerns the approval, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania concerning the extension of 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 2019.

The objective of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters is to enable the European Union and Mauritania to continue to work together on promoting a sustainable fisheries policy and the sound exploitation of fisheries resources in Mauritanian waters and to allow Union vessels to carry out their fishing activities in those waters.

CONTENT: to conclude the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania concerning the 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 2019.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: in accordance with a Council Decision, the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters concerning the extension of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania, expiring on 15 November 2019, was signed. It is now necessary for it to be approved.

CONTENT: the draft Council Decision concerns the approval, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania concerning the extension of 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 2019.

The objective of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters is to enable the European Union and Mauritania to continue to work together on promoting a sustainable fisheries policy and the sound exploitation of fisheries resources in Mauritanian waters and to allow Union vessels to carry out their fishing activities in those waters.

PURPOSE: to allocate the fishing opportunities under 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 for a maximum period of one year.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

BACKGROUND: this procedure is initiated in parallel with the procedures for Council Decisions authorising the signature and provisional application and the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters concerning the extension for a maximum period of one year of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution for the implementation of the Agreement.

Pending completion of the negotiations on the renewal of the Agreement and its Protocol, the Commission negotiated, on behalf of the European Union, an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on an extension for a maximum period of one year to the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution for implementing the Agreement. At the end of those negotiations, the Exchange of Letters was initialled on 4 September 2019.

The method of allocating these fishing opportunities among the Member States should be defined.

CONTENT: the draft Council Regulation provides that the fishing opportunities established by the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania for the period of validity of the Protocol shall be allocated among the Member States as follows:

Vessels fishing for crustaceans other than spiny lobster and crab: 5 000 tonnes (Spain 4 150 tonnes, Italy 600 tonnes, Portugal 250 tonnes) and 25 vessels; Black hake (non-freezer) trawlers and bottom longliners: 6 000 tonnes (Spain) and 6 vessels; Black hake (freezer) trawlers: (Spain : black hake: 3 500 tonnes, squid: 1 450 tonnes, cuttlefish: 600 tonnes); Vessels fishing for demersal species other than black hake with gear other than trawls: 3 000 tonnes and 6 vessels; Tuna seiners: 12 500 tonnes (reference tonnage) and 25 vessels; Spain : 14 annual licences ; France : 1 annual licence; Pole-and-line tuna vessels and longliners: 7 500 tonnes (reference tonnage) and 15 vessels; Pelagic freezer trawlers: 225 000 tonnes (Germany 12 560 tonnes; France 2 615 tonnes; Latvia 53 913 tonnes; Lithuania 57 642 tonnes; Netherlands 62 592 tonnes; Poland 26 112 tonnes; United Kingdom 8531 tonnes; Ireland 8 535 tonnes), and 19 vessels; Non-freezer pelagic vessels: 15 000 tonnes (Ireland).

The Regulation shall apply from the date of signature of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters.

PURPOSE: signature and provisional application of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on the extension of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania, expiring on 15 November 2019.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania entered into force on 8 August 2008. Its Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Agreement, which entered into force on the same day for a period of two years, has been replaced several times.

The last Protocol to the Agreement expires on 15 November 2019. On 8 July 2019, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with Mauritania on a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and a Protocol implementing the Agreement.

Pending completion of the negotiations on the renewal of the Agreement and its Protocol, the Commission negotiated, on behalf of the European Union, an Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on an extension for a maximum period of one year to the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution for implementing the Agreement. At the end of those negotiations, the Exchange of Letters was initialled on 4 September 2019.

CONTENT: the Commission proposes that the Council decide to authorise, on behalf of the Union, the signing of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on the extension of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania, expiring on 15 November 2019.

The Protocol shall:

- grant fishing opportunities to European Union vessels in Mauritanian waters in accordance with scientific advice and the recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT);

- enhance cooperation between the European Union and Mauritania, thereby creating a partnership framework within which to develop a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of fishery resources in the fishing zone of Mauritania, in the interests of both parties.

The one-year extension to the framework laid down by the Protocol which will expire on 15 November 2019 plays a role in the negotiation process aimed at ensuring the continuity of fishing activity by the European fleet operating in Mauritanian waters.

The annual financial contribution from the European Union is EUR 61 625 000, based on:

(a) an annual amount for access to fishery resources for the categories provided for in the Protocol, set at EUR 57 500 000 for the duration of the extension to the Protocol;

(b) support for the development of Mauritania’s sectoral fisheries policy amounting to EUR 4 125 000 for the duration of the extension to the Protocol.