24 freezer tuna seiners, 10 pole-and-line tuna vessels, and 22 surface longliners from Spain, France and Portugal will be allowed to fish up to 7,000 tonnes of tuna and related species each year until 2029.

In exchange, the EU will make a financial contribution of €780,000 per year, €350 000 for access rights to the waters of Cabo Verde and €430,000 to support Cabo Verde’s fisheries policy and blue economy sector. In addition, fishing fees paid by vessel owners may add up to almost €600,000 per year.

The deal aims to enhance cooperation between the EU and Cabo Verde to help the country develop a sustainable fisheries policy and promote socioeconomic development. It is a contribution to wider efforts around fisheries control and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), as it includes rules to improve vessel monitoring, the management of fishing authorisations, and management measures for shark stocks.

MEPs gave their consent to the new protocol…