The European Commission has called the renewal of its fisheries partnership with Mauritania a 'top priority,' with European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis confirming on 29 September 2026 that 'we have not yet reached an agreement' despite weeks of talks between Brussels and Nouakchott.
Speaking after a meeting of EU fisheries ministers, Kadis said an exchange of letters between the two sides had failed to resolve outstanding issues, and that he had requested a videoconference with his Mauritanian counterpart to seek a compromise 'as soon as possible.' He added that any renewed agreement would need to take into account recent auditors' observations on the current protocol's implementation.
The pressure stems from a firm deadline: the current implementing protocol, signed in 2021, expires on 14-15 November 2026. Spanish Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Luis Planas has publicly urged the Commission to accelerate negotiations, warning that a lapse could force European vessels - particularly Spain's fleet - to leave Mauritanian waters. Planas said the issue was not 'an exclusively Spanish issue,' noting that other member states, including Baltic countries, also have vessels fishing there.
Under the current protocol, vessels from ten EU member states - including Spain, France, Portugal and Italy - are permitted to fish for shrimp, demersal species, tuna and small pelagic fish in Mauritanian waters, with an annual catch ceiling in the range of roughly 280,000 to 287,000 tonnes depending on the accounting basis cited. In exchange, the EU pays Mauritania a financial contribution industry sources put at roughly €60.8 million a year, funding meant to support Mauritania's fisheries sector, monitoring and control, and efforts against illegal fishing.
Negotiators remain divided on two sensitive points: the size of the financial compensation and the scope of European access to certain fish stocks, some of which Mauritanian officials say are already under heavy or excessive fishing pressure. No financial terms, catch allocations or signing date for a successor protocol have been finalized. What to watch: whether Brussels and Nouakchott can close a deal before the mid-November deadline, and whether a lapse forces any EU vessels to suspend operations in Mauritanian waters.