EU Parliament approves €100m fisheries deal with Guinea-Bissau. MEPs warn of illegal fishing, weak local benefits.
Five-year agreement grants access to EU vessels amid concerns over illegal fishing and local development failures
MEPs have voted to approve a new five-year fisheries protocol with Guinea-Bissau, allowing 41 European Union vessels to fish in the West African country’s waters until 2029 in exchange for over €100 million in EU and industry payments.
The updated agreement, provisionally in force since 18 September 2024, was endorsed by the European Parliament in a plenary vote on Wednesday, with 518 in favour, 104 against and 61 abstentions. It grants access to vessels from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and France to target tuna, cephalopods, shrimp and demersal species — but excludes small pelagics due to depleted stocks and low interest from EU fleets.
In return, the EU will pay Guinea-Bissau €85 million over five years. This includes €17 million annually, with €4.5 million per year specifically allocated to support sustainable fisheries and local fishing communities — a modest increase over the previous protocol. On top of the EU contribution, shipowners will pay licence and catch fees, bringing the total financial package to over €100 million.
Parliament warns of IUU fishing and flag-of-convenience risks
While approving the protocol, MEPs raised serious concerns over its effectiveness in supporting Guinea-Bissau’s local fisheries sector and the lack of safeguards against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
With 605 votes in favour, Parliament also adopted a set of recommendations urging the European Commission and Guinea-Bissau authorities to improve oversight, increase transparency, and combat reflagging practices. MEPs noted that Guinea-Bissau is “fast emerging as a flag-of-convenience country” and warned that efforts to stop IUU fishing are being undermined by opaque ownership of vessels and weak enforcement.
Parliament called on the EU to provide more technical and financial assistance to bolster Guinea-Bissau’s monitoring and inspection capacities.
Little local benefit despite major EU investment
Although fisheries account for 15% of Guinea-Bissau’s state revenue, just 3% of foreign catches are landed locally. The country remains barred from exporting seafood to the EU due to failure to meet health and sanitary standards.
Rapporteur Eric Sargiacomo (S&D, France) said: “The Commission should improve monitoring and ensure that sectoral cooperation is geared more towards local food security needs, social conditions on board vessels, and recognition of the participation of women in coastal communities.”
Parliament also stressed that the infrastructure needed to land, process, and market fish locally remains severely underdeveloped. Without significant improvements, the deal risks entrenching Guinea-Bissau’s role as a fishing ground for foreign fleets with minimal economic return to its own population.