Source: Solomon Star
Solomon Islands last week signed an agreement of Fishery Partnership.
Peter Shanel Agovaka, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade last Tuesday signed the EU-Solomon Islands Fishery Partnership Agreement.
The agreement signed by Minister Agovaka, was the result of a review process carried out through consultations and negotiations between Solomon Islands and the DG MARE of the European Commission.
The process started in July 2009, when senior officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources met with their counterparts from the European Commission in Brussels.
This was followed by substantive negotiations between the parties which took place in Fiji in September 2009 to review certain administrative and implementation provisions in the Protocols and Annexures of an existing Fisheries Partnership Agreement with the EU.
The signing of the revisions to the Fisheries partnership Agreement now paves the way for new provisions to be implemented.
New provisions will allow for more streamlined implementation processes and in particular prepares the agreement for future transition into foreseeable changes that may arise with new fisheries management mechanisms and rules being implemented by Solomon Islands as a party to groupings such as the Parties to Nauru Agreement (PNA).
Minister Agovaka expressed his appreciation and gratitude to officials from both sides who worked hard to conclude the negotiation of revisions.
“Solomon Islands is part of a group of countries which have the remaining stocks of tuna in the Pacific. With the signing of this Fishery Partnership Agreement we hope to be able to benefit from the harvest of this resource under our cooperationâ€, Minister Agovaka said.
Kris Peeters, President of the Flemish Parliament and Minister responsible for Fisheries and President of the EU’s Fisheries Committee signed the Fisheries Partnership Agreement on behalf of the Belgian Presidency of the European Union.
The EU-Solomon Islands Fishery partnership Agreement first entered into force in 2006 and provides for regular reviews.
Under the agreement, the European Union provides an annual contribution towards developments in the fisheries sector policy.