This extension was agreed in Brussels at the beginning of last September, in the first negotiating round to renew the fishing agreement. Its provisional application was decided in the Council of Ministers of the European Union on November 8, and is pending ratification by the European Parliament.
With this extension of the agreement, there will be no interruption to the current protocol and a total of 50 Spanish vessels of various modalities may continue or request licenses during the next year, to fish in Mauritanian waters.
The agreement with Mauritania is the most important between the EU and a third country in fisheries. It benefits ships from Galicia, the Canary Islands, Andalusia and the Basque Country. Among them are 11 shellfish vessels, 11 freezer purse-seine tuna vessels, 7 cane tuna vessels, 11 vessels dedicated to black hake, 4 surface longliners and 6 longline longliners.
Currently, the European Union and Mauritania are in negotiations for the renewal of the agreement beyond 2020. The next round will take place in Brussels from December 18 to 20.