92003E0151

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0151/03

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 January 2003)

Subject: EU-Mozambique international fisheries agreement and development cooperation

In the context of the current EU-Mozambique international fisheries agreement, can the Commission indicate:

1. how much the EU has earmarked for the development of the fisheries sector in Mozambique?

2. how much the EU pays by way of a financial contribution in exchange for fishing rights for the Community fleet?

3. how much Community shipowners have to pay in fees for fishing licences and fishing rights?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(6 March 2003)

The previous fisheries agreement Community/Mozambique, signed in 1988, was denounced by Mozambique in 1993, and therefore there is currently no fisheries agreement in force. However, on the 21 October 2002, the Community and Mozambique have initialled a new agreement, which will come into force in 2003, after the completion of the necessary approval procedures. The associated protocol and annexes will come into force on the 1 January 2004.

The elements hereafter refer to the new agreement.

1. Article 2 of the first Protocol to the new fisheries agreement between the Community and the Republic of Mozambique(1) fixes the level of financial contribution at EUR 4 090 000 per year. The entire financial compensation will be devoted to the measures in support of the Mozambican fisheries sector specified in Article 3 of the Protocol.

2. The financial contribution of EUR 4 090 000 per year represents the amount that is paid in exchange for the fishing opportunities made available to the Community fleet.

3. The amounts paid by the vessel owners are fixed in points 2 and 4 of the annex to the Protocol.

For the deep-water shrimp fishery, the licence fees to be paid by the shipowners amount to EUR 600 per tonne of shrimp quota, within the maximum allowable quota of 1 000 tonnes of deep-water shrimp attributed to the Community.

For the tuna fishery, the licence fees are EUR 25 per tonne of tuna caught within the waters of Mozambique. The licences are delivered after advance payments of EUR 3 000 for tuna seiners and of EUR 1 500 for surface longliners. The amount of the advances are deducted from the total amount due on the basis of the catches during the preceding year, but if the amount due is less than the advance the balance is not recoverable.

(1) To be published.