In line with the ten recommendations made by a collective of NGOs and artisanal professional fisheries organisations, CFFA is taking the opportunity of the global evaluation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) that will be carried out by the European Commission in 2021. The aim is to deepen the reflection on the implementation of SFPA provisions which are impacting African coastal communities, and to make a series of proposals so that they can better respond to the needs of these communities in the long term.
In 2013, the basic regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) (1380/2013) introduced significant advances to the legal framework of the SFPAs by taking into account the needs of local communities (Art. 31.2, 1380/2013). In practice too, there have been improvements in the management of the SFPAs, especially with regard to the transparency of activities concerning the EU fleets and to contributions to the fisheries sectors of the partner countries, particularly for the artisanal sector. In particular, the European Union (EU) has made progress on the publication of lists of fishing authorisations for vessels in its external fleet and we encourage it to continue to monitor these vessels in a transparent manner.
However, there is a need for a paradigm shift so that the European taxpayer can be assured that the EU is working coherently through its various policies for responsible fisheries outside its waters. We believe that for these SFPAs to be truly sustainable and equitable, some adjustments are unavoidable, in particular in terms of promoting sustainable fisheries management and the sustainable development of the local sector, especially the artisanal sector, as provided for in the Regulation.
As the Commission is carrying out an evaluation of SFPAs, we would like the focus to be placed on fundamental aspects of their implementation, which need to be reviewed in order to ensure their sustainability. In this document, we identify a series of aspects, relevant to the sustainable development of the local sector, especially the craft sector, and then make proposals for necessary adjustments to be made.