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International-legal framework for EU economic cooperation with developing countries:

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International-legal framework for EU economic cooperation with developing countries:

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  1. European Policies in West Africa: who Benefits from Fishery Agreements?by Vlad M. Kaczyski and Dave L. FluhartySchool of Marine AffairsUniversity of WashingtonSeattle, USASymposium on Marine Fisheries, Ecosystems and Societies in West Africa:Half a Century of ChangeDakar, June 24–28, 2002

  2. International-legal framework for EU economic cooperation with developing countries: • Maastricht Treaty (reduce poverty and promote sustainable development); • Lome Convention IV (expired end of 1999): fishery cooperation is to promote development of ACP coastal states’ fishery resource use capabilities; • Fishery cooperation agreements ( = commercial arrangements) signed by EU with West African coastal states.

  3. Coastal States Unloading harvested resources for processing, Investment in land infrastructures, Participation of EU in resource conservation, Environmental protection, Transfer of technology and know-how, Creation of local harvesting and processing capabilities; Payment for access by distant water fleets. Comparing the interests of the EU with those of West African Coastal States EU • Fishery agreements are purely commercial deals; • Harvested resources should be processed in EU; • Agreements help to employ excess of EU fishing capabilities; • Minimum costs of exploitation; • Promotion of the employment of EU fishers and processing workers; • Subsidies are to facilitate access to West African resources; • Minimum information on EU fleet activity and on protocols to the agreements.

  4. EU agreements in numbers • In 1996 - US $ 229 million paid as subsidies to support EU fleets operating in West Africa; • 14 agreements signed with African coastal states; • 240 000 tons of catch per year in the region; • 38 840 jobs in Europe including 13,440 fishers onboard 800 vessels; • Added value through processing of African fish is approx. 100 million Euro per year.

  5. How do EU subsidies work? • Coastal countries became increasingly dependent on hard currency revenues from payments by the European Commission (example: Guinea-Bissau receives over 40% of cash revenues from its Fishery agreements with the EU); • Agreements do not limit the catch that EU fleets can take; rather, their total Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) is negotiated and lump sums for the access are paid in several installments; • Average yearly subsidy for EU fleets is paid in the form of pre-payment between 74 and 82% of the value of total license fees to be paid EU vessel owners for five main species groups (shrimp, demersal fish, molluscs, tuna and small pelagics); • EU reserves to itself the right to increase negotiated fleet size if it decides that resource abundance justifies its decision.

  6. Main features considered in per country review of fisheries agreements*: • Duration of the agreement; • GRT of trawlers allowed to fish; • Number of authorized tuna boats; • Yearly ‘compensation’ (including dedicated funds). *Kaczynski and Fluharty (2002, Marine Policy)

  7. Mauritania: agreements signed from 1987 - 2001

  8. Senegal 1988 - 2001

  9. The Gambia 1987 - 1996

  10. Republic of Guinea 1983 – 2001

  11. Guinea-Bissau 1981 - 2001

  12. EU fleet catches in Guinea-Bissau waters 1997

  13. Foreign fleet activity in Guinea-Bissau EEZ: Catch composition 1997

  14. Value of catch (incl. tuna) by four EU countries in Guinea-Bissau waters, 1996

  15. Catch composition of foreign fleets: Guinea-Bissau 200 mile EEZ, 1997 Shrimp 11% Shrimp 8% Cephalopods 13% Demersal fish 92%

  16. By-Catch of foreign fleets: Guinea-Bissau 200 mile EEZ, 1997 Target species: Shrimp Target species: Demersal Fish 63.8% Shrimps 22.9% Demersal Fish 32.5% Cephalopods 13.3% Shrimps 0.3% Cephalopods 67.2%

  17. Guinea-Bissau: estimated value of tuna harvested and license payments by all foreign tuna fleets (in US$)

  18. Conclusions • The marine resources of West Africa still have a great potential to become an engine of growth and poverty reduction in the region, provided their use patterns are radically changed; • Today, most of these resources is taken away by foreign fleets from the EU, countries from the former Soviet Bloc, and East Asian states; • These fleets enjoy subsidies and support of business-as-usual international fishery cooperation agreements. There is no integration of their activity with the coastal states’ economies.

  19. What is needed? By the EU: • A substantial transformation of the EU policy toward coastal West African states By the West African coastal states: • Joint sub-regional coordination of fishery agreements with EU and other foreign entities; • Internal policy reforms (improved investment climate, changing resource access laws, increased protection and conservation of the coastal resources).

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