The European Commission adopted, on 27 November, a proposal for a decision aimed at withdrawing its proposal for ratification by the European Union of the protocol for the fisheries partnership agreement concluded with the Republic of Guinea. By this act, the Council would renege on an agreement that it had decided, in May 2009, would be provisionally implemented as of 1 January 2009. This move follows a decision by EU foreign affairs ministers, on 27 October, to take sanctions against the junta in power in Guinea following the bloody repression of a demonstration at the end of September in Conakry which, according to the UN, resulted in at least 150 deaths. Already on 20 October, EU fisheries ministers, acknowledging the rejection of this agreement by the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee, had asked the Commission to launch the procedure for the annulment of its proposal.

The Commission also decided to suspend the payment of €1.5 million to the Republic of Guinea, anticipated under this protocol. “Until futher notice, and as long as Guinea cannot guarantee that the EU funds will be used wisely, the Commission cannot make a financial transaction to the Guinean authorities,” indicated the Commission, which specified that it will closely monitor the development of the situation in the framework of the consultations anticipated by Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement. In practice, as soon as the Council will have formally notified the Republic of Guinea of the renegement, the European fishing fleet (essentially from Spain, France and, to a lesser extent, Italy) operating in the territorial waters of Guinea will have to leave the fishing zone. The member states concerned have been asked to warn their operators.