EU/Seychelles Fisheries Partnership Agreement: fishing opportunities and financial contribution from 18 January 2011 to 17 January 2014. Protocol

PURPOSE: to conclude the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for by the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Seychelles.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

BACKGROUND: on 5 October 2006, the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 1562/2006 concerning the conclusion of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Seychelles. The European Union negotiated with the Republic of Seychelles a new Protocol to the Partnership Agreement, providing EU vessels with fishing opportunities in the waters over which Seychelles have sovereignty or jurisdiction in respect of fisheries.

On conclusion of those negotiations, the Protocol was initialled on 3 June 2010 and was amended by an Exchange of Letters on 29 October 2010. It was signed on behalf of the Union and is being provisionally applied.

It is now necessary to approve the negotiated Protocol on behalf of the EU.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.

LEGAL BASIS: Article 43, in conjunction with point (a) of Article 218(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

CONTENT: with this proposal, the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution provided for by the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Seychelles is hereby approved on behalf of the Union, subject to the European Parliament’s consent.

For further details on the main elements of the Protocol, please refer to the summary of the previous initial legislative document dated 25/11/2010.