The EU and Madagascar have signed a new sustainable fisheries partnership agreement and implementing protocol which will allow 65 EU fishing vessels to operate in Madagascan waters over the next four years.
The date of signature marks the entry into force of the protocol, so EU vessels can request access to Madagascar’s waters.
In exchange for access for the 65 EU fishing vessels, the European Union will contribute €700,000 per year, based on a roughly 14,000 tonne annual tuna catch, and will provide €1.10 million for sectoral support for the sustainable development of the fisheries sector and the blue economy in Madagascar. The total EU contribution is €1.80 million annually.
The new protocol also anticipates a new contribution for the protection of ecosystems (to be paid by fishing vessels owners) and new provisions to encourage co-operation with Madagascar in the context of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).
