EC/Guinea fisheries agreement: protocol for the period from 1st January 1998 to 31 December 1999

OBJECTIVE: to conclude a new protocol on fishing between the Community and Guinea establishing the technical and financial conditions for fishing by Community vessels in the waters of that country, for the period from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 1999. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Regulation (EC) 1660/98 on the conclusion of the Protocol establishing the fishing possibilities and the financial compensation provided for in the Agreement between the EEC and Guinea on fishing off the Guinean coast for the period 1 January 1998 to 31 December 1999. SUBSTANCE: the new protocol, which was initialled by both parties on 11 December 1997, provides for the following fishing possibilities: - licences for trawlers fishing for cephalopods and fin fish: 4 000 grt per year; - licences for shrimp trawlers: 1 000 grt per year; - licences for 33 freezer tuna seiners; - licences for 13 pole and line tuna vessels; - licences for 28 surface longliners. The fishing possibilities for fin fish and cephalopod trawlers may also be increased at the Community's request by successive instalments of 1000 grt a year. The protocol also provides that if necessary, the joint committee set up by the EC-Guinea Fisheries Agreement may include new categories of fish and lay down the technical and financial conditions under which they can be fished by Community vessels. The various fishing possibilities are broken down between five Member States: Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Portugal. If licence applications from those Member States do not exhaust the fishing possibilities, the Commission may consider licence applications from any other Member State. In payment for the fishing possibilities provided under the protocol, Guinea will receive financial compensation totalling ECU 6 500 000 for the duration of the protocol, covering financial compensation to Guinea for the fishing possibilities and Community funding of various activities under the heading of fisheries (scientific programmes, support for fisheries surveillance bodies, funding for study awards, etc.). If the fishing possibilities are increased, the financial compensation will be increased pro rata. The annex to the protocol lists the conditions under which fishing may be carried out by Community vessels. These include arrangements for obtaining fishing licences for each type of vessel, formalities concerning statements of catch and landing of catches and other provisions relating to signing on of seamen and Guinean observers, inspection and monitoring, fishing zones and authorised mesh sizes. ENTRY INTO FORCE: the regulation comes into force on 1 August 1998. The protocol comes into force when the parties have notified each other of all the required procedures. �