92001E1481

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1481/01

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(18 May 2001)

Subject: The EU-South Africa Fisheries Agreement

Does the Commission have any predictions about the likelihood of a successful outcome to the ongoing negotiations with South Africa on fisheries?

Are there any particular difficulties which are being encountered and is it the case that other agreements are being jeopardised by the position of certain Member States?

Is there any analysis of what the benefits of such an agreement with the EU would be for South Africa at the time?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(12 July 2001)

The Council of Ministers delivered to the Commission in September 1995 a negotiating directive to enter into negotiations and conclude a fisheries agreement with the Republic of South Africa.

Despite many attempts by the Commission to open the fisheries negotiation, South Africa was not in a position before December 2000, to accept a fisheries negotiation with the Community.

The 1st round of these negotiations took place in Brussels on 5-6 March 2001. The South African delegation forwarded a draft co-operation agreement on fisheries which excluded any access to South African fisheries.

The Commission delegation could not accept this draft and presented a complementary draft including access to South African fisheries. South Africa could not accept such a draft because it did not correspond to their negotiating mandate.

South Africa cancelled the 2nd round scheduled for early April 2001 in Cape Town.

The failure of the negotiating process is due to the South African reluctance to include in any fisheries agreement the issue of access to fisheries which, according to the Union mandate, is the main element of the fisheries agreement.

In fact the Commission, when it negotiates fisheries agreement with third countries, does not only take account of the Community fishing interest, but in addition need for sustainable development of the sector in the third country concerned.

The Union proposed draft fisheries agreement offered to South Africa a cooperation for the development of research, surveillance and transfer of technologies and would have promoted joint operations in fisheries between Union partners and South African partners.

Under these circumstances, a successful outcome of the negotiations with South Africa seems unlikely for the foreseeable future.