Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea and European Union sign fisheries protocol

afrol.com, 6 September - The European Community and Equatorial Guinea have initialed a new Protocol to extend the Fisheries Agreement between the two parties for another year. The current Protocol, which expired on 30 June, will now be extended from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001. 

The conditions will remain exactly as they were and the financial compensation will be the same as the annual compensation under the previous Protocol. This Fisheries Agreement provides tuna fisheries possibilities for some 68 European Community vessels as part of their tuna activities in the Golf of Guinea. European vessels fishing under this Agreement come from Spain, France, Portugal and Italy. 

The framework Agreement between the Community and Equatorial Guinea was adopted by the Council in 1984. The Protocol which has just expired had been signed for 3 years (1997-2000). The vessels fishing for tuna under this Protocol include: 

- 30 seiners
- 30 surface long-liners and
- 8 pole liners. 

The European Community compensation amounted to € 320,000 per year. Some 38% - or € 120,000 - of this annual compensation were allocated to targeted measures designed to help the development of the local fisheries sector. These measures provided support for scientific and technical research programmes, training, surveillance of fisheries activities and the artisanal fisheries sector. 

The financial compensation for this one-year Protocol will also be € 320,000.

Source: European Commission

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