Dakar, May 8 (APS) – The European Union (EU) pays Senegal an annual fee of 1.7 million euros, or 1 billion 115 million 126 thousand 900 CFA francs, under the signed fishing agreement by both parties, we learned on Wednesday from the head of the European delegation in Senegal, Jean-Marc Pisani.
”In total, the European Union pays each year to the State of Senegal around 1.7 million euros due to the fishing agreement,” he said, specifying that ”the boats Europeans are only authorized to fish for surplus stocks.
Mr. Pisani was speaking at a press conference as a prelude to the celebration of Europe Day scheduled for Thursday.
The EU is ”ready to renegotiate this fishing agreement with the Senegalese government,” he declared.
The current fishing agreement will expire next November, according to the European Union ambassador to Senegal.
”Under this fisheries agreement, the European Union pays a fee both for fishing licenses, but also to encourage sectoral fisheries policy,” he continued.
The EU ambassador declares that ”the total catch in Senegal for European vessels is 400,000 tonnes [de poisson] per year”.
According to Jean-Marc Pisani, the fee paid by the EU represents less than 1% of the annual benefits from fishing in Senegal.
He affirms that ”most of the catches are processed in Senegal”.
The new Senegalese leaders have expressed their desire to review the agreement that binds the two parties on fishing.
They believe that this agreement is unequal and benefits Europe more than the Senegalese economy, of which fishing is one of the mainstays.
CS/ESF/ADL
