The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has attended the meetings held in Brussels by the European Commission with the Cook Islands to assist in negotiations conducted from 19 to 21 October, which have ended with the signing of a new agreement fishing partnership, which will ensure the continuity of the activity of the Spanish tuna purse seine fleet in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
In these negotiations, the European Commission has a clear mandate from the Council to extend the network of fisheries agreements in order to expand the areas they can access long distance fleet.
The agreement reached will last eight years, with tacit renewal and with a first application protocol 4 years duration. The Community will pay a total amount of 2,870,000 euros during the first period of four years, which includes an annual amount of 350,000 euros allocated to sectoral support to fisheries. In return, the Cook Islands to the EU grant access to its waters to 4 freezer purse seiners flying the Spanish flag to capture each year a quantity of 7,000 tonnes of tuna.
This agreement allows the Spanish fleet to continue with an activity that had been challenged with the suspension last September according to Kiribati. With access to the productive waters of the Cook Islands, the fleet can maintain its strategic presence in these important fisheries. Furthermore, it answers a demandad made by the tuna industry to expand areas to operate in distant waters.
xºAmbas parties agreed on the importance of properly manage Pacific tuna resources, and undertake to maintain cooperation in all fishing areas, to achieve good use of the Agreement.
This agreement adds to the achievements along this legislature with increased fishing opportunities abroad, by signing a total of 14 international agreements in these four years (8 6 new agreements and renewals).
Source: Ministry of Agriculture of Spain
