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Oceans and fisheries

Madagascar

Sustainable fisheries partnership agreement with Madagascar

The last protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Madagascar was signed on 19 December 2014 and covered the period 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2018 with a financial contribution of €6,107,500 on the whole duration of the protocol out of which €2,800,000 was dedicated to the support of the fisheries policy of Madagascar.

This fisheries agreement allowed EU vessels mainly from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France to fish in the Malagasy waters and is part of the tuna network fisheries agreements, in the south-west zone of the Indian Ocean.

Main features of the SFPA

Duration of the agreement

6 years tacitly renewable (1.1.2007– 31.12.2012, renewed for the period 01.01.2013-21.12.2018)

Duration of the protocol

4 years (1.1.15– 31.12.2018)

Initialisation

1 January 2015

Nature of the SFPA

Tuna fishery agreement, in the framework of the IOTC convention area

Financial contribution

€1,566,250 per year for 2015 and 2016 and €1,487,500 per year for 2017 and 2018, out of which €700,000 has been earmarked for the support of the Malagasy fisheries policy in order to promote sustainability in its waters.

Fee for ship owners

€60  per tonne caught for 2015 and 2016
€70 per tonne caught for 2017 and 2018

Advances

Tuna seiners: €11,400/year for the first two years and €13,300 /year for the last two years (ref catches: 190 t/an)
Surface longliners >100 GT: €3,600/year for the first two years and €4,200/year for the last two years (ref catches: 60 t/an)
Surface longliners = or < 100 GT: €2,400/year for the first two years and €2,800/year for the last two years  (ref catches: 40 t)

Reference tonnage

15,750 t./year

History

The first fisheries agreement concluded between the EU and Madagascar dates back from 1986. 

Documents

Current legal framework

Agreement and protocol adopted by Council Regulation 31/2008 of 15.11.2007 (OJ EU L15 of 18.1.2008). The text of the agreement was published in the OJ EU L331of 17.12.2007.

The last protocol, under provisional application, was adopted by Council Decision 2014/929/EU (OJ L365 of 19.12.2014)