MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF BASQUE TUNA FLEET MOORED IN SENEGAL

During the meeting, attendees examined the difficult situation faced by the four Basque tuna vessels held in the Senegalese port following the expiry of the fisheries agreement with that country. Zarzalejos underlined the need to find alternatives that would help alleviate the economic impact on the shipowners and urged the Government of Spain to request state aid and to activate the necessary political and diplomatic support to advance new fisheries cooperation projects with Central American countries.

The MEP stressed that these projects “are already at a very advanced stage of definition” and called for “the political and diplomatic momentum needed to finalise them as soon as possible.” For her part, Ana Morales warned of the seriousness of the situation and called for an urgent response both from European institutions and from the Basque Parliament, emphasising the economic, social and employment importance of the tuna sector for the Basque Country.