FISHERIES PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE EC AND THE REPUBLIC OF MADAGASCAR (5736/07, 5737/07)
Letter from the Chairman to Ben Bradshaw
MP, Minister of State for Local Environment, Marine and Animal
Welfare, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Your Explanatory Memorandum (EM) on the above
Proposals was considered by Sub-Committee D at its meeting of
28 March 2007.
We note that the Fisheries Partnership Agreement
is being re-negotiated and we understand that you will submit
a Supplementary EM upon conclusion of the revised Agreement.
In the meantime, we would appreciate information
from you on the extent of the Community's knowledge of fisheries
in Madagascan waters and how the Agreement is likely to function
in practice.
We will release these Proposals from scrutiny
on the understanding that the revised Agreement will be submitted
to us upon completion of negotiations.
29 March 2007
Letter from Ben Bradshaw MP to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 29 March asking
for information on the extent of the Community's knowledge of
fisheries in Madagascan waters. Before negotiating any Fisheries
Partnership Agreement, the European Commission will commission
an independent consultant to carry out an analysis of the fisheries
in the 3rd Country's waters. This includes analysis of the biological
situation of the stocks, current utilisation of resources, management
of the fisheries, and existing levels of control and enforcement.
This study is referred to in paragraph 3 of the Explanatory Memorandum
as the "ex-post and ex-ante evaluation carried
out by independent experts". The report on the Madagascar
agreement is available in French only.
You also asked how the agreement is likely to
function in practice and I understand that by this you refer to
how control and compliance of EU vessels is ensured. In this case
I would refer you to the Annex of the Agreement. Chapter 3 onwards
stipulates the conditions of reporting requirements, licensing,
observer schemes and satellite monitoring. Employment of locals
is also covered here. Ultimately an EU vessel not complying with
the rules would have its Madagascan licence revoked. The Member
State responsible would be informed and would be expected to investigate
the vessel concerned.
If your Committee would find it helpful to have
a general briefing with my officials on how Fisheries Partnership
Agreements work I would be happy to arrange this.
I will provide the Committee with further information
on the revised Agreement once the proposal is made by the European
Commission.
24 April 2007
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