EU, Guinea Bissau Rekindle Fishery Ties

EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki has met with the newly appointed Prime Minister from Guinea Bissau, Mr. Domingos Simões Pereira, and the country’s Secretary of State for Fisheries, Mr. Idelfonso de Barros, to discuss the bilateral and strategic cooperation in fisheries matters between the EU and Guinea Bissau.

Commissioner Damanaki and Prime Minister Pereira have agreed to re-activate the ratification procedure of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Guinea Bissau.

A three-year protocol was negotiated in 2012 but never entered in to force due to the political situation in the country.

Other topics of mutual interest were evoked during this meeting, notably the need to enhance cooperation in the fight against illegal fishing, in matters of transparency and to ensure proper implementation of the EU’s support to the fisheries sector in Guinea Bissau.

Fisheries are an important activity for Guinea Bissau and EU fishermen have an interest in fishing tuna, shrimps, cephalopods and demersals along the coast of the country.

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Press Release; July 16th, 2014