On the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032)

PA_LegEvaluation

BUDGETARY ASSESSMENT

for the Committee on Budgets on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032)

(COM(2025)0511 – C100346/2025 – 2025/0287(NLE))

The Committee on Budgets has carried out a budgetary assessment of the proposal under Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure and has reached the following conclusions:

A. whereas the previous three-year Protocol with the Government of the Cook Islands expired on 16 December 2024;

B. whereas the financial contribution to the new Protocol for the duration of its seven-year period is EUR 3 220 000, based on:

(a) an annual amount of EUR 165 000 for access to fishery resources as provided for in the Protocol, set at EUR 1 155 000 for the duration of the Protocol;

(b) support for development of the Cook Islands’ sectoral fisheries policy amounting to EUR 295 000 per year, set at EUR 2 065 000 for the duration of the Protocol, meeting the objectives of the Cook Islands’ strategic plan for fisheries;

C. whereas the implementation of the Protocol requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below:

DG MARE

Year 2025

Year 2026

Year 2027

Year 2028

Year 2029

Year 2030

Year 2031

Year 2032

TOTAL

Operational appropriations

Budget line 08 05 01

Commitments

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

3.220

Payments

0.165

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.460

0.295

3.220

EUR million (to three decimal places);

D. whereas on 20 November 2025, Parliament approved DEC 19/2025 submitted by the Commission on 23 October 2025, which will make available the necessary appropriations on operational line 08 05 01 to honour the 2025 financial obligations resulting from the new Protocol;

E. whereas the new Protocol with the Cook Islands has been signed and entered into provisional application on 9 December 2025;

1. Notes that the support allocated to the Protocol should meet the objectives of enabling Union vessels to fish in the Cook Islands’ fishing zone, enabling the Union and the Cook Islands to work closely together to further promote the development of a sustainable fisheries policy and the responsible exploitation of fishery resources in the Cook Islands’ fishing zone, and ensuring that the Union and the Cook Islands cooperate to contribute to decent working conditions in the fisheries sector; considers that there should be thorough scrutiny to ensure that the support meets those objectives effectively during the implementatison of the Protocol;

2. Recommends that, for future agreements, an impact assessment of the added value and socio-economic benefits derived from the previous agreement be taken into account; considers that this assessment should guide the negotiation and renewal of subsequent agreements to ensure that they align with the objectives of sustainable development and efficient use of the Union’s financial resources;

3. Notes that the transfer of appropriations for an amount of EUR 1 161 000 in commitment appropriations (CA) and of EUR 866 000 in payment appropriations (PA), as submitted by the Commission in DEC 19/2025, has been approved by the budgetary authority in the time limit provided for in the Financial Regulation; regrets that the decision on this budgetary matter is disconnected from, and has to be taken prior to, the decision on the consent to be given by Parliament to the new Protocol; underlines that decisions on the agreement itself and related budgetary matters are inextricably linked, and fears, therefore, that the disconnect risks de facto pre-empting the decision on consent and creating a fait accompli; therefore strongly requests the Commission to ensure that such situation does not occur again in the future;

4. Notes that the 2025 budget as voted on in plenary on 27 November 2024 includes amounts of EUR 90 590 000 in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 93 655 000 in payment appropriations (PA) on operational line 08 05 01, as well as amounts of EUR 59 970 000 in CA and EUR 41 620 000 in PA on reserve line 30 02 02; regrets that the amounts are cumulative and not broken down by fisheries agreements, thus making it difficult for Parliament to scrutinise budget implementation in this field;

5. Concludes that the Committee on Budgets is in a position to advise the Committee on Fisheries, as the committee responsible, to recommend approval of the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands (2025-2032).