Europêche and ETF, the EU Social Partners for the fishing sector, are calling on the European Commission to ensure the timely renewal of the EU-Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement, which expires on 14 November 2026.
The EU and Mauritania have a long-standing fisheries partnership, dating back to 1987. The current protocol provides fishing access to vessels from ten EU Member States, covering shrimp, demersal species, tuna and small pelagic fish, with fishing opportunities of up to 280,050 tonnes per year.
The partnership also represents a significant EU financial contribution, currently amounting to €60.8 million, including support for the sustainable development of Mauritania’s fisheries sector, fisheries management, monitoring and control, scientific cooperation and the fight against IUU fishing.
With less than two months remaining before the current protocol expires, uncertainty over its continuation is becoming a serious concern for the European fishing sector. Without a renewed framework in place, many EU vessels currently operating in Mauritanian waters could be forced to stop fishing from 14 November onwards, creating significant disruption for fishing companies, crews and the wider supply chain.
Javier Garat, President of Europêche, stated: “The deadline is fast approaching and the European fleet needs certainty. A disruption to fishing activities from 14 November would have serious consequences for vessels, crews and businesses. We urge the European Commission to act with urgency and ensure that the partnership is renewed on time, without any interruption to fishing activities.”
Juan Manuel Trujillo, ETF Fisheries Section Chair added: “We cannot overlook the social impact of failing to renew this agreement. A breakdown in negotiations will immediately ground the European fleet in the region, creating a void that third-country fleets, operating under far lower environmental and labour standards, will quickly fill. Ultimately, this will cost the jobs of numerous European and local crew members working on the EU fleet.”
For the Social Partners, the renewal is essential to provide legal and operational certainty to the European fleet while maintaining a stable framework for responsible fisheries management and cooperation between the EU and Mauritania. If it proves impossible to conclude the negotiations before 14 November, the Social Partners also call for an immediate one-year extension of the current protocol, to ensure continuity of fishing activities and avoid any disruption for the European fleet.
Should EU vessels ultimately have to stop fishing due to the absence of a renewed or extended protocol, the Social Partners call for temporary cessation aid to be activated automatically for both fishing companies and affected workers.
“This is a long-standing partnership that benefits both sides. The priority now must be to avoid an unnecessary gap between protocols,” Garat concluded. “We call on the Commission to make the renewal a priority and ensure that European vessels can continue their activities after 14 November. The sector needs certainty and it needs it now.”
