Trade with SelFISH Europe will fuel hunger and migration, says ActionAid

BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 18, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A report released today by ActionAid reveals that over-fishing by European boats off the coast of West Africa is fuelling hunger and migration and is set to intensify if new EU trade rules are signed.

 

“At the moment we see European vessels bending rules to exploit Senegalese maritime resources.  If we sign a comprehensive trade agreement with the EU, this situation will only get worse,” said Alhassan Cissé, Food Rights Advisor at ActionAid Senegal. 

 

“Inherent to the EPAs are liberalisation measures which will see more European boats taking our fish with no obligation whatsoever to land the catches in Senegal. This represents a major risk for the food security of millions of people, who rely on fish to provide over 70% of their protein needs.”

 

ActionAid’s new report ‘SelFISH Europe’ exposes the exploitative practices of European fleets which are bypassing Senegalese rules to gain control over fish stocks. EU demands to include services and investment provisions in the EPAs are set to lock in these dubious practices.

 

“If the EU is serious about ending the food crisis, it needs to stop putting pressure on West African governments to sign the EPAs,” said Mariano Iossa, Trade and Food Policy Officer at ActionAid.

 

The report also reveals that over-exploitation by European vessels is increasingly pushing fishermen to migrate to Europe. In the European Parliament today, MEPs are voting on the controversial ‘Return’ Directive which sets rules on the deportation of illegal immigrants.

 

“It is somewhat ironic that on the day that the European Parliament voted to fight illegal immigration, we are provided with further evidence of how Europe is actually fuelling that migration,” said Belgian Socialist MEP Alain Hutchinson. 

 

SOURCE : ActionAid