A new sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA) has been signed by the European Union and Madagascar which will allow 65 tuna fishing vessels from EU member states to access Madagascar waters for the next four years.
Signed on 30 June 2023, the new agreement restores the fisheries partnership between the EU and Madagascar that had been interrupted since 2018.
With immediate effect, EU fishing vessels may start to request fishing in Madagascar again.
In exchange for the access, the EU will provide Madagascar with €700,000 per year. This is based on an estimated catch of 14,000 tonnes of tuna. Additionally, the EU will dedicate €1.1 million for sectoral support, to accompany the sustainable development of Madagascar’s fisheries sector and its blue economy.
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).
SFPAs with non-EU countries are negotiated and concluded by the European Commission on behalf of the EU. They enable EU vessels to fish for surplus stocks in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of third-countries.
