EU to weigh freezing Mauritanian fishing deal
Eric Witte August 18th, 2008
As I noted on Friday, suspension of international aid to Mauritania following the coup earlier this month may have a limited impact on the junta so long as lucrative fishing and mining contracts continue to fund the government. Today, a spokesperson for the European Commission said that EU Aid and Development Commissioner Louis Michel will propose to the European Council that non-humanitarian aid and the fishing agreement worth Euro 75.25 million per year be frozen until there is an acceptable solution to the crisis. Mauritania will be on the agenda when the Council (foreign ministers of the 27 EU members) meets in September. The governments to watch are those of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece - those whose fishing fleets have access to Mauritanian waters under the agreement in question.
[…] used as leverage to keep democratic governance on track. The response of the United States and European Union to the August 6 coup in Mauritania, for example, could eventually create real pressure for the […]
[…] I noted last month, EU Aid and Development Commissioner Loius Michel was requesting suspension of a 75 million […]