Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands.

This Agreement establishes the principles, rules and procedures governing: (a) the conditions under which European Union vessels may engage in fishing activities in the Cook Islands' fishing areas; (b) economic, financial, technical and scientific cooperation in the fisheries sector with a view to promoting responsible fishing in the Cook Islands' fishery waters in order to guarantee the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources and develop the Cook Islands' fisheries sector; (c) cooperation on the management, control and surveillance measures for policing fisheries in the Cook Islands' fishery waters with a view to ensuring that the above rules and conditions are complied with, that the measures for the conservation of fish stocks and management of fishing activities are effective, in particular to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The Parties undertake to promote responsible fishing in the Cook Islands' waters as provided for in FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing on the basis of the principle of non-discrimination.
The Agreement is accompanied by a Protocol on the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the Cook Islands. The Protocol lays down detailed provisions on fishing opportunities, experimental fisheries, and electronic exchange of data between the Parties. The Annex attached to this Protocol establishes conditions for the pursuit of fishing activities (fishing areas, issue and validity of fishing authorizations, monitoring, communication on entering and leaving the Cook Islands' fishery waters, landing, transhipment, Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), cooperation in fighting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing).