4 January 2011: The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, and Cape Verde initialed a three-year protocol setting fishing possibilities for EU vessels in Cape Verde’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and foreseeing a total EU financial contribution of EUR 435,000.

The protocol will come into force when the present protocol expires, on 1 September 2011, under a Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) between the EU and Cape Verde. The FPA is mainly utilized by vessels from Spain, Portugal and France, and is part of EU’s network of tuna agreements simplifing arrangements for operators pursuing these species in the waters off West Africa. [EU press release]