The European Parliament adopted by 513 votes to 43, with 38 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar and the Implementing Protocol thereto.

Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement.

The European Commission carried out negotiations with Madagascar authorities on concluding a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA), including a new Implementing Protocol, which was signed on 28 October 2022. The new SFPA repeals and replaces the 2007 agreement and covers a period of four years from the date of provisional application.

The objective of the Agreement is to restore and strengthen the partnership between the two parties as well as to contribute to better governance of the fishing sector. It’s enables EU vessels to access Madagascar’s fishing zone and to fish for tuna and associated species there, under the management mandate of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

The Agreement and the protocol will also provide sectoral support for monitoring and combating illegal fishing, the small-scale fisheries sector, scientific and technical cooperation - with a view to ensuring that fisheries resources are exploited in a sustainable manner, proper training for seafarers, management and conservation of fisheries resources, and scientific cooperation.

Furthermore, the Agreement and the protocol will advance Madagascar’s fishing economy by fostering growth and decent working conditions in fisheries-related economic activities.

The new SFPA and its Implementing Protocol establish an updated framework allowing 65 Union vessels to access Madagascar's waters and to fish for tuna and associated species. In exchange for fishing rights, the EU provides a financial contribution to Madagascar which represents EUR 1 800 000 per year, broken down into an annual amount of EUR 700 000 for access to Madagascar’s fishing zone and an amount of EUR 1 100 000 for sectoral support aiming at supporting Madagascar’s fisheries policy.

PURPOSE: to conclude the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar and its Implementing Protocol (2023-2027).

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: the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar and its implementation protocol (2023-2027) have been signed. The Agreement replaces the previous Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Madagascar, which has been provisionally applied since 1 January 2007.

The agreement and the protocol should be approved.

CONTENT: the purpose of the draft Council Decision is to approve, on behalf of the Union, the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar and its implementing Protocol (2023-2027).

The objectives of the Agreement and the Protocol are to enable Union vessels to fish in Madagascar’s fishing zone and to enable the Union and Madagascar to work closely together to further promote the development of a sustainable fisheries policy and the responsible exploitation of fishery resources in Madagascar’s fishing zone and in the Indian Ocean. That cooperation will also contribute to decent working conditions in the fisheries sector.

The Agreement establishes a Joint Committee responsible for monitoring the application of the Agreement and the Protocol. The Joint Committee is authorised to adopt certain amendments to the Protocol. To facilitate the approval of such amendments, the Commission should be authorised, subject to substantive and procedural conditions, to approve them on behalf of the Union under a simplified procedure.

The Union’s position on proposed amendments to the Protocol should be established by the Council. The proposed amendments should be approved unless a blocking minority of Member States objects to them.

PURPOSE: to conclude, on behalf of the European Union, and provisionally apply a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar and its Implementing Protocol (2023-2027).

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: a Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Madagascar was signed on 19 December 2007 and has been provisionally applied since 1 January 2007. It is tacitly renewable for periods of 6 years from its entry into force. The last Implementing Protocol to this Partnership Agreement was signed on 23 December 2014 and applied from 1 January 2015 until 31 December 2018, when it expired.

The Commission conducted negotiations with Madagascar on concluding a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the European Union and Madagascar, including a new Implementing Protocol to that Agreement. Following these negotiations, a new text of the Agreement and a new text of the Implementing Protocol were signed on 28 October 2022.

The negotiation of a new SFPA forms part of the EU’s external action in relation to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and takes into account, in particular, the EU’s objectives on respecting democratic principles and human rights.

CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal is to authorise the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Madagascar and its Implementing Protocol .

The objectives of the Partnership Agreement and its Protocol are to enable EU vessels to fish in Madagascar’s fishing zone and the Union and Madagascar to work closely together to further promote the development of a sustainable fisheries policy and the responsible exploitation of fishery resources in that zone and in the Indian Ocean. This cooperation will also contribute to decent working conditions in the fisheries sector.

The new Agreement repeals and replaces the existing Agreement. It covers a period of 4 years from the date of provisional application laid down in Article 19 thereof, namely 1 July 2023, subject to signature by the Parties, or the date of such signature if it is signed after 1 July 2023.

Fishing opportunities

The new Protocol provides for the following fishing opportunities for highly migratory fish:

- 32 tuna seiners,

- 13 surface longliners with a tonnage greater than 100 GT,

- 20 surface longliners with a tonnage less than or equal to 100 GT,

- and support vessels in accordance with the relevant Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) resolutions.

Financial contribution

The annual financial contribution is EUR 1 800 000 , based on:

(a) a reference tonnage of 14 000 tonnes, for which an annual amount linked to access has been set at EUR 700 000;

(b) support for developing Madagascar’s sectoral fisheries policy, amounting to EUR 1 100 000 per year.

This support meets the objectives of cooperation in the fields of sustainable exploitation of fishery resources, aquaculture, sustainable development of the oceans, protection of the marine environment, and the blue economy.