Source: European Parliament
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the draft Council decision (12475/2024),
– having regard to the Protocol on the implementation of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau (2024–2029) (12189/2024)(1),
– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Article 43(2) and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a) (v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C10‑0108/2024),
– having regard to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines),
– having regard to the 2023 report entitled ‘Evaluation and analysis of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements’, commissioned by the European Commission(2),
– having regard to its legislative resolution of 02 April 2025(3) on the draft Council decision,
– having regard to the budgetary assessment by the Committee on Budgets,
– having regard to Rule 107(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Development,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A10-0040/2025),
A. whereas the overall objective of the EU-Guinea-Bissau sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA) is to enhance fisheries cooperation between the EU and Guinea-Bissau, in the interests of both parties, by promoting a sustainable fisheries policy and the sound and sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in Guinea-Bissau’s fishing zone in addition to development of the fisheries sector in Guinea-Bissau and its blue economy;
B. whereas the use of total allowable catches (TAC) under the previous SFPA is considered satisfactory overall;
C. whereas scientists(4) have warned of the overexploitation of pelagics in this region, which are under constant pressure;
D. whereas the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA is of considerable importance in the context of the SFPAs concluded by the EU with third countries, and is currently the second most important in terms of the funds involved, and offers the added advantage of being one of only three agreements that allow access to mixed fisheries;
E. whereas the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA is of importance for cooperation with Guinea-Bissau, international ocean governance actions, strengthening cooperation within forums such as regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) and fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing;
F. whereas Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest, most unstable and least developed countries in the region and the contribution of its fisheries to the country’s wealth is very low (3 % of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018(5)) but the funds disbursed under the SFPA by way of financial compensation for access to resources will make a significant contribution to its public finances;
G. whereas artisanal catches are not sufficient to supply the local markets; whereas overexploitation of small pelagic species remains an urgent problem in terms of food security for the local population; whereas the increased production of fishmeal, which is processed mostly from small pelagic species, either on land in fishmeal plants or directly on factory ships, is one of the main factors contributing to the overexploitation of these stocks in the region; whereas there is a lack of transparency about who supplies these fishmeal plants and who are their beneficial owners;
H. whereas 97 % of the catches made in the fishing zone of Guinea-Bissau are landed outside the country, according to the 2023 ex post and ex ante evaluation(6);
I. whereas by comparison with the previous protocol, the EU’s financial contribution has increased from EUR 11 600 000 to EUR 12 500 000 per year as regards the annual amount for access to fishery resources and from EUR 4 000 000 to EUR 4 500 000 per year as regards EU support for Guinea-Bissau’s sectoral fisheries policy;
J. whereas during the period covered by the protocol, fishing opportunities will be in transition from a fishing effort basis (measured in gross registered tonnage (GRT)) to a catch limit basis (measured in tonnes – TAC); whereas that transition ought to be accompanied by the implementation of an electronic catch reporting and catch data processing system;
K. whereas during the period covered by the protocol, the fishing opportunities granted to EU fleets shall be as follows: 3 700 GRT for shrimp freezer trawlers, 3 500 GRT for fin-fish and cephalopod freezer trawlers and 0 GRT for small-pelagic trawlers, 28 tuna freezer seiners and longliners and 13 pole-and-line tuna vessels for highly migratory species;
L. whereas the first fisheries agreement between the European Economic Community and Guinea-Bissau dates back to 1980; whereas the previous protocol to the agreement expired on 14 June 2024; whereas the results achieved under the development cooperation component of the agreements (i.e. sectoral support) are not satisfactory overall; whereas improvements have nonetheless been recorded as regards capacity for fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance and sanitary inspection, as well as Guinea-Bissau’s involvement in regional fisheries bodies;
M. whereas sectoral cooperation involving local coastal communities needs to be stepped up in order to better promote the development of the local fisheries sector and related industries and activities so as to ensure that a greater proportion of the added value created through exploitation of the country’s natural resources remains in Guinea-Bissau; whereas the Commission should improve monitoring and ensure that sectoral cooperation is better targeted to local needs and that the aid contributes effectively to sustainable development in partner countries, as well as providing transparent information on how and where the support is used;
N. whereas development of the fisheries sector in Guinea-Bissau calls for the establishment of basic and functioning infrastructure, such as ports, landing sites, storage facilities and processing plants, which are still lacking or are being built by other third countries competing with the EU, with the aim of attracting landings of fish caught in Guinea-Bissau waters;
O. whereas 2021 saw the start of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030); whereas third countries should be encouraged and helped to play a key role in connection with resource and ecosystem knowledge; whereas EU Member States should play a supportive role in this respect;
P. whereas trade in fishery products from Guinea-Bissau has been banned by the EU for many years owing to the country’s inability to comply with the sanitary measures required by the EU; whereas the delay in the certification process for the analytical laboratory (CIPA) is the main barrier to exporting fishery products from Guinea-Bissau to the EU; whereas the Guinea-Bissau authorities and the Commission are working together in the certification process in order to lift the ban;
Q. whereas for the first time, the SFPA makes a reference in its preamble to the SSF Guidelines, with the aim of protecting small-scale fisheries, taking into account their contribution to food security and poverty reduction;
R. whereas it would be appropriate for Guinea-Bissau to ensure that a greater proportion of the added value generated through exploitation of fishery resources in the Guinea-Bissau fishing zone remains in the country; whereas the EU should encourage local authorities to apply this recommendation to EU vessels but also to foreign fleets operating in Guinea-Bissau’s fishing zone;
S. whereas unfortunately, direct job creation in the fisheries sector in Guinea-Bissau is uncommon and limited, even in the case of local crew members on board vessels and women working and earning their living in the fisheries sector; whereas a significant proportion of the sectoral support should be allocated to support artisanal fishery, women processors and local trade;
T. whereas by comparison with the previous protocol, the number of seafarers to be signed on in the EU fleet has increased significantly; whereas EU vessel owners must endeavour to sign on additional Guinea-Bissau seafarers; whereas however, the Guinea-Bissau authorities should fulfil their obligation to draw up and keep up to date an indicative list of qualified seafarers who could be signed on to EU vessels; whereas sectoral support may be provided for training local seafarers in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards;
U. whereas after initialling the protocol, the Commission validated, with the Council, an amendment to point 4 of Chapter VIII of the annex to the protocol (‘Remuneration of deep-sea fishers’), replacing the word ‘wage’ by ‘remuneration’, this having received the approval of the authorities of Guinea‑Bissau;
V. whereas advances have been made in the fight against IUU fishing in Guinea-Bissau’s territorial waters as a result of stepping up the Guinea-Bissau exclusive economic zone’s (EEZ) surveillance resources, in particular those allocated to the Directorate-General for Fisheries and Fishing Inspection and Control , which includes a corps of observers and fast patrol vessels; whereas there are still shortcomings to be eliminated, including in connection with the satellite-based vessel monitoring system (VMS);
W. whereas access to beneficial ownership information is crucial for law enforcement, to uncover illegal fishing, reveal concealed networks and identify the individuals and companies benefiting from these activities by tracing the flow of profits;
X. whereas according to the most recent ex post and ex ante evaluation in July 2023, the advances made in the profiling of demersal fish stocks in the Guinea-Bissau EEZ are not sufficient to achieve maximum sustainable yield;
Y. whereas Guinea-Bissau is one of 13 countries coming within the scope of the European Fisheries Control Agency project ‘Improved regional fisheries governance in western Africa (PESCAO)’, adopted by Commission Decision C(2017) 2951 of 28 April 2017, which, among other objectives, aims to step up the prevention of and fight against IUU fishing by improving monitoring, control and surveillance at national and regional level;
Z. whereas incorporation of the recommendations previously made by Parliament into the current protocol was not entirely satisfactory;
AA. whereas Parliament must be kept closely informed at all stages of the procedures concerning the protocol, any changes to it, or its renewal;
1. Notes the importance of the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA, both for Guinea-Bissau and for EU fleets operating in the Guinea-Bissau fishing zone; emphasises that there could be more effective fisheries cooperation between the EU and Guinea-Bissau and reiterates its call on the Commission to take every step required to make the new protocol on implementing the agreement more ambitious than its predecessors so as to ensure that this SFPA satisfactorily supports the development of the local fisheries sector in overall terms and increases the added value for coastal communities, which will contribute to food security and sovereignty, and is consistent with the objectives referred to in UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development;
2. Welcomes the new SFPA social provision introduced by the Commission; recalls the important principles included therein, also covering equal working conditions for seafarers, including for fishers from countries in the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States who are working on EU vessels, and considers that this protocol should be monitored effectively during its period of implementation;
3. Highlights the importance of a structured framework for cooperation on fisheries with Guinea-Bissau, which will also enable better cooperation and coordination for common efforts in areas of international ocean diplomacy and international ocean governance;
4. Encourages the Commission to develop a more ambitious partnership agreement facilitating the export of fishery products that are sustainably processed on the African continent, provided it does not undermine the food security of the local population;
5. Considers that the objectives of the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA have been realised to varying degrees and that, while the agreement has offered and still provides fishing opportunities for EU vessels in the Guinea-Bissau fishing zone, in view of the considerable use made of those opportunities by European vessel owners, the same cannot be said of the local fisheries sector, whose development remains insufficient or unsatisfactory overall;
6. Advocates for infrastructure to be developed and fishery products to be exploited so as to ensure tangible results for local and artisanal fisheries, prioritising their needs and supporting infrastructure development and market access;
7. Supports awareness-raising and the inclusion of all possible actors in Guinea-Bissau’s fisheries sector throughout the process leading to an agreement, from the time of its drafting to when it is concluded and implemented, including as regards the use of sectoral support, and stresses the need to improve the participation of all possible stakeholders and the particularly important role of local cooperatives and representatives of local artisanal fishers and of coastal communities;
8. Stresses that, in Article 3, the protocol contains a non-discrimination clause whereby Guinea-Bissau undertakes not to grant more favourable technical conditions to other foreign fleets operating in Guinea-Bissau’s fishing zone that have the same characteristics and target the same species; calls on the Commission to closely follow and constantly monitor the EU fishery agreement applicable in Guinea-Bissau’s fishing zone; supports the Commission’s precautionary approach in setting TACs at 0 GRT for small-pelagic trawlers, but questions the ability of stakeholders to enforce an equivalent obligation for third-country-flagged fleets, including fleets flagged to Guinea-Bissau, considering the risk of infringement of the IUU Regulation(7);
9. Calls on the Commission, in order to improve the implementation of the IUU Regulation, to address the lack of transparency in the fishing sector in Guinea-Bissau which results, for example, from flags of convenience, flag hopping, complex corporate structures and a lack of public information on beneficial owners; asks Guinea-Bissau to communicate to the Commission the available information concerning flagged vessels or companies with EU ownership;
10. Recalls that IUU fishing damages food security and the livelihoods of people in coastal countries as well as the ocean’s ecosystems; notes with concern that Guinea-Bissau is fast emerging as a flag-of-convenience country; is concerned that the fight against IUU fishing is being held back by a lack of transparency regarding the ownership of fishing vessels in countries with a high risk of IUU fishing;
11. Reminds the Member States of their obligations to investigate and sanction any non-compliance with EU fishing laws by nationals under their jurisdiction, including those who own vessels flagged in third countries; requests that the Member States improve their cooperation and exchange of information with both EU and third countries to identify infringements of fishing rules, and that they cooperate to ensure that proportionate and deterrent sanctions are in place; recalls the Member States’ requirements under the IUU regulation regarding nationals supporting and engaging in IUU fishing activities, including obligations concerning beneficial owners;
12. Stresses that Guinea-Bissau’s GDP is heavily reliant on its marine resources; underlines that, although the fishing industry represents 15 % of total government revenues, it cannot export seafood to the EU as it has not met the health and sanitary requirements to export, while it is estimated that only 3 % of the catches made by foreign vessels in Guinea-Bissau are landed in Guinea-Bissau;
13. Recalls that small-scale fisheries make a major contribution to food security, with fish being the main source of protein available at an affordable price; underlines, therefore, the importance of reserving the access to pelagics for small-scale fisheries that catch fish for human consumption; recalls the EU’s responsibility to encourage these measures through its agreements;
14. Welcomes the contribution of EU vessels to food security in Guinea-Bissau through direct landings, as specified in Chapter V of the annex to the protocol, for the benefit of local communities and to promote internal fish trade and consumption; notes with concern the low tonnage of 94 tonnes reported in 2022(8); calls, in this regard, for an increase in landings under this new protocol;
15. Notes that the main problem facing the small-scale fisheries sector is the lack of infrastructure for landing, preserving and processing fishery products; stresses that the long-term food security needs of the local population should be prioritised and highlights the importance of maintaining sustainable fish stocks to ensure food security for coastal communities; recalls that 97 % of the stocks fished in Guinea-Bissau are landed in other countries; encourages European vessels, therefore, to land at least 2 % in Guinea-Bissau, for the local population;
16. Welcomes the fact that the preamble to the Guinea-Bissau-EU Protocol, for the first time in an SFPA, refers to the FAO’s SFF Guidelines; underlines that their inclusion in the protocol text shows the determination of both parties to make this sector a priority; notes, however, that artisanal fishing communities were not consulted at any stage in the process of drawing up the new protocol; stresses that the EU’s commitment to supporting the local fisheries sector in Guinea-Bissau entails involving them in identifying priorities for the use of sectoral support funds;
17. Calls on the Government of Guinea-Bissau and the Commission to improve the participation of coastal and small-scale fishing communities during the implementation of the new protocol, notably ahead of the Joint Committee meetings;
18. Considers the electronic reporting system for catches, data processing and vessel activity monitoring to be a challenge for this protocol; calls on the Commission and Guinea-Bissau to promote, without delay, appropriate and effective implementation that safeguards the necessary reliability and effectiveness of the electronic reporting system and the processing of catch data and stresses that this has to be done, without further delay, during the extension of the protocol;
19. Supports the need for significant progress in the development of the Guinea-Bissau fisheries sector, including as regards related industries and activities, and calls on the Commission to take all necessary measures, including a possible revision and strengthening of the sectoral support component of the agreement;
20. Takes the view that the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA will not achieve its objectives unless it contributes to establishing a long-term sustainable management system for the exploitation of its fisheries resources as well as responsible socio-economic arrangements; regards it as extremely important that the sectoral support provisions set out in the protocol be complied with, with the utmost transparency, in order to help fully implement the national strategy for sustainable fisheries; recalls that it is in the EU’s interests to highlight and demonstrate to the Guinea-Bissau citizens the long-term, positive and strategic role of the SFPA, compared with the lack of involvement of third countries in the welfare of the local population; points out, in this regard, that the EU should mobilise its technical and financial assistance as follows, and as a matter of priority, in order to:
| (a) | strengthen institutional capacities, notably regional fisheries governance strategies, so as to take account of the cumulative impacts of the various fisheries agreements involving countries in the region; | |
| (b) | strengthen capacities to monitor and control fishing activities in order to prevent IUU fishing; combat the risks associated with reflagging strategies by making flagging subject to sustainability criteria; implement measures to prevent any flag-of-convenience practices and ensure full transparency throughout the registration process; | |
| (c) | build, linked to the Global Gateway Initiative, key infrastructure tailored to fisheries and related activities, such as ports (both industrial and artisanal), landing sites, fish storage and processing facilities, markets, distribution and marketing structures, and quality analysis laboratories, with the aim of attracting landings of fish caught in the waters of Guinea-Bissau; | |
| (d) | strengthen the capacities of local artisanal operators in the fisheries sector by supporting fishers’ organisations and cooperatives of women processors and wholesale fish merchants; | |
| (e) | train fishing professionals upstream, including seafarers, and downstream in processing facilities, focusing, in particular, on the handling, hygiene and packaging of fish, and inform the vessel owners of the list of deep-sea fishers with the required skills, as provided for in the protocol; | |
| (f) | support small-scale fishing as regards access to resources, in line with the FAO’s SSF Guidelines, modernising seagoing capacities, on-board equipment and cold chain equipment for preservation of catches on land, these being basic building blocks for the cohesion of coastal communities and their food autonomy, as well as providing training on geolocalisation, security and safety at sea for pirogue masters; | |
| (g) | contribute to the good ecological condition of the marine environment, in particular by supporting the collection and recycling of waste and fishing gear by all actors, contributing to the fight against overfishing and promoting more selective fishing gear; | |
| (h) | recognise and enhance the role of women and young people in fishing, in the support of this SFPA, and improve how their roles are organised by supporting the necessary conditions for this, by funding training for women working in recovery facilities, creating all the necessary conditions for them to develop their work and have a work-life balance, such as appropriate childcare facilities close to the workplace and support for education; | |
| (i) | facilitate landings of species consumed locally, in the interests of local communities’ food security, and ensure access to the commodity for women processors and wholesale fish merchants, ensuring and promoting local human consumption of fish; |
21. Calls for the proactive publication of and greater transparency on the activities financed by sectoral support funds, thus allowing more rigorous monitoring and greater consistency with other funds for development of the local sector, as publication would make the impact of those activities totally clear to the EU taxpayer and local populations;
22. Urges the Commission and the Member States, in their cooperation and official development assistance policies, to take into account the fact that the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, including its 2021-2027 multiannual indicative programme, and sectoral support provided for in the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA should complement each other and be fully coordinated, with a view to strengthening the local fisheries sector in line with FAO rules and ensuring food security for coastal communities;
23. Stresses that the training of artisanal fishers, especially women, is a necessary condition for the development of the local fisheries sector; calls for the EU to also use sectoral support funds for this purpose;
24. Expresses its concern at the growing number of fishmeal and fish oil plants on the western African coast, which are also supplied with fish from Guinea-Bissau waters; underlines the fact that forage fishing runs counter to the principle of sustainability and providing valuable protein resources for the local community; welcomes expansion of port and landing facilities in Guinea-Bissau, but is concerned that this will be followed by the construction of new fishmeal plants;
25. Calls for the EU to step up its efforts to support the regional joint management of small pelagics and to end overfishing, including by creating a regional fisheries management organisation dedicated to this shared management;
26. Calls on the Commission and the Guinea-Bissau authorities to enhance their cooperation in order to establish the conditions for the export of Guinea-Bissau fishery products to the EU, in particular as regards the verification of the required sanitary conditions and certification of the analytical laboratory (CIPA), so as to overcome the current ban, boost the development of the local fisheries sector and, consequently, make progress towards achieving the SFPA objectives;
27. Supports the need to enhance the contribution of the SFPA to local direct and indirect job creation, both on vessels operating under the SFPA or in fishing-related activities, both upstream and downstream; considers that the Member States can play a key role and be an active participant in capacity-building and training efforts in order to achieve the objectives set;
28. Points to the unique nature of Guinea-Bissau’s marine and coastal ecosystems, such as the mangrove forests, which act as nursery habitats for fishery resources, and which require measures and targeted action to protect and restore biodiversity; calls for the EU to take these considerations into account for its external fishing fleet;
29. Recalls that Guinea-Bissau is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change; calls for the conservation of marine ecosystems, funding for efforts to combat coastal erosion, and broad mitigation measures to address the impact of climate change on fisheries;
30. Considers it useful for Guinea-Bissau to gather information on the benefits of implementing this protocol for local economies (for example, in terms of employment, infrastructure and social improvements) and compile this in a database, in order not to create administrative burdens;
31. Considers that there is a need to improve the quantity and quality of data on all catches (target species and by-catches), on the conservation status of fishery resources in the Guinea-Bissau fishing zone and, in general, on the impact of the SFPA on ecosystems, and that an effort should be made to develop Guinea-Bissau’s capacity to acquire such data; calls on the Commission to help ensure that the bodies monitoring implementation of the SFPA, namely the Joint Committee and Joint Scientific Committee, can operate smoothly, with the involvement of artisanal fishers’ associations, associations of women working in the fisheries sector, trade unions, representatives of coastal communities and Guinea-Bissau civil society organisations;
32. Considers it essential to improve the collection of data on catches in Guinea- Bissau; calls further for an improvement in the transmission of data generated by EU vessels’ VMS via the flag state to the African authorities; calls for better data system interoperability, with reciprocity for third countries on the basis of international standards;
33. Stresses that Guinea-Bissau’s GDP is heavily reliant on its marine resources; highlights the importance of supporting scientific assessments of fish stocks and ensuring that catch limits and quotas are adhered to in order to remain within sustainable limits and prevent the depletion of marine resources;
34. Encourages the Commission to promote the use of sectoral support to enhance surveillance and controls, and to develop scientific lab-based research on stocks in order to train local workers to EU standards on hygiene, fish processing and packaging; stresses that training is a long-term investment for the development of the local blue economy and the fish trade, and for the protection of local businesses and the environment;
35. Calls for updated reports to be published on the actions that have been given backing under sectoral support arrangements, to ensure the necessary transparency;
36. Considers that, should fisheries be closed or fishing restrictions be introduced, local fishing needs should be addressed first, on the basis of sound and structured scientific advice, in order to ensure that resources are sustainable, as laid down in the protocol;
37. Emphasises the importance of the surplus requirement for EU vessels fishing in third-country waters; recalls that robust and reliable data and transparent information are needed to calculate the available surplus; takes the view that targeting fish populations subject to overexploitation is contrary to that objective;
38. Supports the need to improve governance, control and surveillance of the Guinea-Bissau fishing zone and to fight IUU fishing, in particular by stepping up vessel monitoring (by VMS or any other leaner and cheaper geolocation and identification system), with a view to improving the sustainability of fishing activities for fleets operating in its fishing zone; welcomes the EU support for patrols at sea in recent years;
39. Calls for the improved implementation of transparency provisions, in particular entailing publication of all agreements with states or private entities that have granted foreign vessels access to Guinea-Bissau’s EEZ; highlights that the ex post and ex ante evaluation in July 2023 stated that information on access agreements was shared with the Commission but not made public;
40. Stresses the importance of allocating the fishing opportunities provided for by the SFPA on the basis of the principles of equity, balance and transparency, acknowledging historical catch levels and relative stability;
41. Calls on the Commission to make publicly available information provided under the transparency clause of the protocol;
42. Emphasises that it is important for landings of fish in Guinea-Bissau ports to contribute to local processing activities and food security, in terms of both species and quality; calls therefore on the Commission to strengthen that component in the next agreement; encourages the creation of national companies in the industrial fishing sector, capable of participating in the exploitation, by national fleets, of fishery resources that would be processed on land;
43. Calls on the Commission to raise awareness among the social partners of the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Fisheries of the importance of coordinating and having collective working agreements determining a minimum remuneration under International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 188, which can be used for subsequent SFPAs; encourages the Commission to promote the ratification of ILO Convention 188 by all the Member States and third countries, including when negotiating SFPAs, and to take forward the requirements of the current conventions within the ILO; calls on the Commission to include any social clauses necessary to achieve those objectives in the mandate for SFPAs issued by the Council or during negotiations within regional fisheries management organisations;
44. Highlights the importance of clarifying the social clause included in the SFPA and takes note of the Commission’s intention to do so in the first upcoming Joint Committee meeting with Guinea-Bissau; points out the importance of the clause being in line with the commonly used remuneration model of the sector; calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to amend point 4 of Chapter VIII of the annex to the protocol (‘Remuneration of deep-sea fishers’), as validated together with the Council;
45. Calls on the Commission, when assessing and renegotiating SFPAs, to determine whether all provisions of Chapter VIII of the annex have been implemented, in particular the provisions on pay actually received by local fishers; calls on the Commission to propose corrective measures where not all of those provisions have been complied with;
46. Calls on the Commission to address, in ocean diplomacy and in SFPAs, the implementation of the IMO Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel in order to promote better occupational safety standards in the fisheries sector and, if necessary, include the training component in sectoral support arrangements;
47. Points to the responsibilities of flag states for providing social protection for employees living on their territory and therefore calls on the Commission to ensure, through the technical committees implementing the agreement, that these measures are effective;
48. Calls on the Commission to present to Parliament, during the last year in which the protocol applies, and before negotiations on renewing it are opened, a full report on its implementation and the documentation necessary to assess the situation;
49. Calls on the Commission and the Guinea-Bissau authorities to provide more detailed information on the development of forage fishing activities in the region, in particular activities by third-country vessels or vessels from neighbouring countries;
50. Calls on the Commission to better incorporate Parliament’s recommendations into the EU-Guinea-Bissau SFPA and to take them into account in the procedures for renewal of the protocol;
51. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Guinea-Bissau.
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