The sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA) between the European Union and the West African nation of Senegal is set to expire in November, and if the two parties can not strike a deal before then it also poses a challenge to the planned renegotiation for a similar deal the bloc has with neighboring Gambia, which lapses in June 2025.
Renewal of the E.U.’s deal with Senegal hit a speed bump in May 2024 when the European Commission issued a yellow card to the country, urging Senegalese authorities to improve its efforts to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing off its shores.
A yellow card is the first step that the European Union takes when it identifies a country as not fully handling international obligations to fight against IUU fishing activities. It serves as a warning and initiates a formal dialogue between the Commission and the country. If that dialogue doesn’t produce any changes, the Commission then may issue a red card, resulting in a ban on the country's seafood products from being imported into the E.U.
This development has complicated negotiations for renewing the Senegal-E.U. SFPA and has, as a result, complicated the E.U.’s deal with Gambia, too …
