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EC/Mauritania Fisheries Partnership Agreement: fishing opportunities and financial contribution for the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2012. Protocol

2008/0093(CNS)

The European Parliament adopted by 518 votes to 53, with 15 abstentions, a legislative resolution amending, in the framework of the consultation procedure, the proposal for a Council regulation on the conclusion of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Mauritania for the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2012.

The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Carmen FRAGA ESTÉVEZ (EPP-ED, ES), on behalf of the Committee on Fisheries. The main amendments, which mainly concern improving the transparency of the implementation of the Fisheries Agreement and Protocol, can be summarised as follows:

  • The entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon would, if ratified, impose closer interinstitutional cooperation which, inter alia, should lead to the European Parliament having greater and better access to all the information relating to fisheries agreements, including during the negotiations on protocols;
  • A member of the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries shall attend the meetings and proceedings of the Joint Committee provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement as an observer;
  • The Commission shall forward the conclusions of the meetings of the Joint Committee provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement to the European Parliament.

The Parliament also requests that during the final year of application of the Protocol and before another agreement is signed on its renewal, the Commission submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on its application and publish annually on its website a list of individual end-beneficiaries of the EU financial contribution (in the spirit of the European Parliament's resolution of 19 February 2008 on transparency in financial matters – see INI/2007/2141). It should be noted that the proposal by the IND/DEM group for a complete rejection of the proposal was not retained in plenary.