EU Fisheries Agreements with third countries
The EU enters into two types of agreements with countries outside of the EU: Northern Fisheries Agreements and Fisheries Partnership Agreements.
The Northern Fisheries Agreements, which the EU has concluded with the neighbouring countries of Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, on the one hand lay down rules for joint stock management, with the aim of sustainable stewardship. On the other hand, the exchange of fishing quotas and access to the partners’ exclusive economic zones is intended to enable the fishing fleets to optimise their fishing results. From an economic viewpoint, the agreement with Norway is of particular significance for German fishers.
Under the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements, the EU provides financial and technical assistance to its partner countries for the sustainable development of their fisheries and receives fishing rights on these states’ territory in return. The EU fleet is allowed to catch fish from stocks that are not considered as endangered and that are not fully utilised by the fleet of the country in question. The agreements concluded with Morocco, Mauretania and Greenland are of particular importance for the German fishing fleet.
