Without an extension before December 14, community fishing vessels without a private licence operating in Mauritanian waters would be in an irregular situation and exposed to sanctions.
According to Faro de Vigo, the fishing protocol that the European Union maintains with Mauritania expires on December 14. If an imminent extension is not agreed upon before that date, any community-flagged vessel without a private licence that remains in Mauritanian waters will be in an irregular situation and may be sanctioned.
The negotiation affects around fifty fishing vessels with Spanish capital, of which a dozen are Galician. A new agreement would require legislative procedures, and meanwhile, the exit from the fishing ground, even if temporary, is the scenario that worries the sector.
In Nouakchott, local media are calling for the Mauritanian government to provide greater economic compensation. The current protocol sets 60.8 million euros annually in compensation, with a maximum of 280,050 tonnes of catches per year. France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Italy are covered.
From the affected Galician fleet, consulted sources believe that the conflict is fundamentally economic and that the fee per vessel could increase.
"Here we know that everything is a monetary issue; they are fighting for their own"
The digital portal Tawassoul, published in Nouakchott, estimates that the European contribution, divided by the maximum allowable catch, does not exceed about 87 ouguiyas per kilogram. Some types of fish reach 4,500 ouguiyas per kilogram in Mauritanian markets, and the ouguiya is quoted at 0.022 euros.
Minister Luis Planas, from Luxembourg, expressed confidence in reaching an agreement in time.
"We are working on it and still have hope of reaching an agreement in a timely manner"
Until December 14, the current protocol remains in effect, so any extension approved before that date would prevent the fleet from being in an irregular situation.
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