CFFA comments on the European Commission roadmap on a possible negotiation for a new fisheries agreement between the EU and the Republic of Guinea, which would grant access to European vessels in the Guinean EEZ, and underscores the key challenges local artisanal fisheries are facing:
The European Commission has launched a roadmap inviting stakeholders to provide their views on a possible negotiation for a Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the EU and the Republic of Guinea. The roadmap does not prejudge whether the initiative will be pursued or on its final content and establishes five goals for a new SFPA and protocol: environmental sustainability, access to the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) for the EU fleet, support to the local fisheries sector, the fight against IUU and improving scientific and technical knowledge.
For CFFA, in a potential future negotiation for an SFPA with Guinea, the EU should make sure it contributes towards resource and environmental sustainability, and that it supports the development of the local fisheries sector. In the current climate of political tension in this West African country, it is essential that local fisheries stakeholders’ voices are unimpeded so they can address some sensitive issues, such as transparency and the fight against IUU fishing. The EU should ensure that artisanal fisheries activities are not encroached on, particularly by coastal trawlers, so that both coastal communities’ livelihoods and food security for the population are guaranteed. For this reason, and also because of lack of reliable scientific data on coastal fisheries, let alone the existence of a surplus, the EU fleets should access tuna species only.
On 22 March 2020, in the middle of Coronavirus pandemic, Guinean citizens went to vote in a climate of violence and tension and under the critical look of the international community. The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), ECOWAS and the African Union had repeatedly insisted on the need for free, transparent and inclusive elections, and the latter cancelled its observation mission at the end of February 2020. Several human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International, denounced the repression against opposition leaders, and criticized the cost in terms of human rights of a constitutional reform that could allow the President to stay in power. The European Union condemned the violence and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials on election day and stated that the non-inclusive and non-consensual nature of the ballots and of the electoral register undermines the credibility of the elections.
Taking into account the tense political situation in Guinea, in the event of the start of negotiations for an SFPA, it is imperative that the EU, in cooperation with Guinea, ensures the terms and conditions for good governance and sustainability set out in the Cotonou Agreement and in the future EU-Africa Strategy. In this regard, the EU should consider having a stronger human rights clause, allowing the Agreement to be denounced in case of a breach of universal rights, including the right to food.
A future SFPA between the EU and Guinea should be in line with and contribute to the goals that Guinea has for the sustainable development of its local fisheries sector. These goals can be found in Guinea 2020 fisheries management plan:
— To preserve fisheries resources on the long term
— Improve the fish contribution to food security
— Improve fisheries’ contribution to employment
— Increase the economic benefits from fisheries
Guinea has signed the Convention on Minimal Access Conditions (CMA) of the SRFC, which insists on the precautionary approach in the management of resources. In the context of potential future negotiations, this precautionary approach needs to be followed, especially bearing in mind the lack of scientific data on the state of the fish stocks, data which is either non-existing or obsolete, and considering that several aspects in the 2020 fisheries management plan which remain unclear.