A new sustainable fisheries partnership agreement signed between the EU and Madagascar

Today, 30 June, the EU and Madagascar signed a new sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA), and its implementing protocol.

This new agreement represents a milestone in fisheries governance, since it restores the fisheries partnership between the EU and Madagascar that had been interrupted since 2018, and will contribute to good fisheries governance.

The signature marks the start of the application of the agreement and protocol, so that from today the fishing vessels from EU Member States may start to request fishing in Madagascar again.

An agreement for tuna fisheries

The agreement will allow 65 tuna fishing vessels from EU Member States to access Madagascar waters over a period of 4 years.

In exchange, the EU will:

• Provide Madagascar with €700,000 per year to access Madagascar water, based on a reference esteem of catches of 14,000 tons of tuna; and
• Dedicate €1,1 million for sectoral support, to accompany the sustainable development of the fisheries sector and the blue economy in Madagascar.

The total EU contribution will be €1,8 million per year.

The new protocol also foresees a new contribution for the protection of ecosystems (paid by fishing vessels owners) and new provisions to encourage cooperation with Madagascar in the context of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

Background

Sustainable fisheries partnership agreements (SFPA) with non-EU countries are negotiated and concluded by the Commission on behalf of the EU. They enable EU vessels to fish for surplus stocks in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of third countries. They also focus on resource conservation and environmental sustainability.

More information

Sustainable fisheries partnership agreements (SFPAs)

Madagascar