The European Union (EU) and Côte d’Ivoire have recently signed a protocol that resumes their cooperation under the fisheries partnership agreement between the two parties, according to the EU Delegation to Côte d’Ivoire.
Signed on June 6, the protocol grants European vessels from the concerned EU countries access to Ivorian waters for a period of four years, with a fishing quota of approximately 6,100 tons of tuna and other migratory species per year, the EU Delegation stated in a press release.
The note specifies that the EU’s total contribution under this new protocol will exceed €2.9 million, or €740,000 per year, including €435,000 allocated to support the sustainable fisheries sector in Côte d’Ivoire.
In addition to the EU’s contribution, European shipowners will pay the Ivorian administration a license fee and catch fee of €80 per ton, which will rise to €85 per ton during the third and fourth years of the protocol’s implementation.
This protocol will support the EU’s efforts to enhance food security and ensure adequate supply of fishery products to the European market, while simultaneously promoting the development of sustainable fishing in Côte d’Ivoire.
Under this protocol, the EU will provide support to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks through improved scientific research and administrative capacity for managing marine resources in Côte d’Ivoire.
The EU will also assist local fishing communities, contribute to job creation and the professionalization of fisheries stakeholders, and help strengthen the attractiveness of the Port of Abidjan.
"Additionally, with EU sectoral funding, Côte d’Ivoire will identify and implement projects aimed at further improving monitoring, control, and surveillance of fishing activities, and fighting **illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing,” the note states.
The protocol is also expected to improve working conditions aboard fishing vessels, the statement adds.
"To this end, the protocol includes a mutual commitment to ensure compliance with International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards,” it notes.
Finally, the protocol aims to strengthen compliance with international obligations, as it explicitly refers to the recommendations and resolutions of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and other applicable international agreements and legal instruments in the field of fisheries.
According to the EU Delegation in Côte d’Ivoire, the new protocol will apply provisionally from June 6, 2025, and will enter into force once the ratification process by both parties is complete—on the European side, this still requires approval by the European Parliament.
The fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Côte d’Ivoire was originally signed on July 1, 2007, and has since been tacitly renewed every six years.
With Faapa