EU fishing protocol renewed

The European Commission has welcomed the renewal of an EU/Mauritania protocol providing increased fishing opportunities for European Union (EU) vessels and more money for Mauritania, an EC statement issued in Brussels said on Wednesday. “I welcome this agreement. It is beneficial both to Mauritania and to the EU,” Commissioner Franz Fischler, responsible for agriculture, rural development and fisheries, said. New provisions within the agreement, to run from 1 August 2001 to 31 July 2006, are intended to protect fish stocks in Mauritania, including ensuring a regular review of the situation, Fishcler said. The EU’s financial contribution to Mauritania will be increased from 266.8 million euros (US $236 million) to 430 million euros (US $380 million) over the next five years. Part of it will go to measures aimed at improving the fisheries sector in Mauritania. Vessels operating under this agreement, first signed in 1987, come from France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and The Netherlands.