Cases / Fishing ban · Mauritania · 2008–2026
Mauritania fishmeal industry, sardinella stocks and foreign fishing agreements
Nature's voice · report
My round sardinella and flat sardinella stocks were assessed in 2024 as in "a critical situation, heavily overexploited and with very low biomass levels". The assessment was preliminary and had not yet been validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record. Disputed
Recorded
- The biomass of my round sardinella in 2023 was "the lowest in the entire historical series", and the stock has been in a very critical situation since 2016, according to the working group. FAO/CECAF
- Of nine small pelagic stocks off north-west Africa, five were assessed as overexploited in 2024. FAO/CECAF
- For my round sardinella the group recommended "a substantial and immediate reduction in fishing effort and mortality (60 percent of the current mortality on this stock)". FAO/CECAF
- My flat sardinella made up 17% of fishmeal input in 2023 and 15% in 2024, according to IMROP data cited by Mongabay, although its use for fishmeal has been banned since 2022. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 2 not disclosed · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured · 5 disputed · 4 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Why fishmeal plants stopped operating
- Government and regulators Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy (Mohamed Ould M'Bareck): Fishmeal is destruction rather than value creation; the policy aims to phase it out. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- Company or project Mohamed Lemine Areira, Bountiya plant owners' association: The purse seiners supplying Nouadhibou have almost disappeared. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- Company or project Hamady, Sinorim: There are not enough fish in waters open to industrial vessels. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- Company or project Levent Gülkaya, Mahelturk: Companies are shifting from fishmeal to freezing. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- Communities and civil society Harouna Lebaye, Artisanal Fishing Free Federation: The sector runs in parallel to the economy and excludes Mauritanian artisanal fishermen. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
Mauritania's fishmeal plants grew from fewer than three in 2008 to 44 authorised plants in 2021, while a 2024 FAO/CECAF assessment placed round and flat sardinella in a critical, heavily overexploited state. The country received EUR 60.8 million a year from the EU under its 2021–2026 fisheries protocol and signed a 25-year fishing agreement with a Chinese company.
5 of 9Small pelagic stocks assessed as overexploited (FAO/CECAF, 2024)
Preliminary results of the working group, not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee. The five include round and flat sardinella, which Mauritania has banned from fishmeal use.
Preliminary results of the working group, not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee. The five include round and flat sardinella, which Mauritania has banned from fishmeal use.
Status As of January 2026 (Mongabay): 8 plants were active in September 2025 and no new fishmeal licences had been issued since 2021; the current EU protocol expires on 14 November 2026.
What?
Mauritania's fishmeal industry expanded from fewer than three plants in 2008 to 44 authorised plants in 2021 while foreign fleets fished under EU and Chinese agreements; a 2024 FAO/CECAF assessment found round and flat sardinella heavily overexploited. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
Where?
Nouadhibou (Bountiya industrial strip) and Nouakchott (PK28 and Port Tanit), and the Mauritanian exclusive economic zone; the stocks are shared across the CECAF northern subregion, from southern Senegal to the northern Atlantic border of Morocco. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
When?
Plant numbers rose from fewer than 3 (2008) to 44 (2021); decree 643-2021 in May 2021; management plan in November 2022; FAO/CECAF assessment 25 June–2 July 2024; current EU protocol 16 November 2021 to 14 November 2026. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
Who?
Gained
- Fishmeal plant owners (including Chinese- and Turkish-linked operators) — Plants authorised and operating; fishmeal production reached 128,789 t in 2020 Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- Government of Mauritania — EUR 60.8 million a year from the EU under the 2021–2026 protocol; fishing licences exchanged for a USD 100 million Chinese investment European Commission DG MARE
- Poly-Hondone Pelagic Fishery Co. — Fishing licences in exchange for a USD 100 million processing plant, 25 years from 2010 Financial Afrik (Samba Camara)
Lost
- Mauritanian artisanal fishermen — The president of the Artisanal Fishing Free Federation said the fishmeal sector excludes them Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- Imraguen fishers — A fisherman told Global Voices that octopus and yellow mullet had disappeared since the China deal Global Voices
Why?
Dème et al. (2023) describe the emergence of the fishmeal industry as supported by small-scale migrant fishing, with Senegalese purse seiners supplying the plants; the EU and Chinese agreements gave foreign fleets access to the same waters. Dème E.B. et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 10
How?
Plants were licensed and supplied by purse seiners; from 2016 the state set raw-fish quotas, from 2021 banned named species for fishmeal and in 2022 adopted a management plan; by September 2025 the ministry had withdrawn licences from plants in both Nouadhibou and Nouakchott. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
Mauritania had fewer than three fishmeal factories in 2008 and 41 licensed, functional factories (33 in Nouadhibou, 8 in Nouakchott) according to a 2023 study by Dème and colleagues. Mongabay counted 35 authorised plants in 2015 and 44 in 2021, which it described as the second-highest number in the world after Peru, and reported that no new fishmeal licences had been granted since 2021. Small pelagic production rose from about 64,000 t in 2009 to more than 590,000 t in 2018, and investment in fishmeal rose from USD 90 million in 2013 to USD 349 million in 2018, per IMROP 2019 as cited by Dème et al.
Fishmeal production was 111,866 t in 2017, 124,961 t in 2018, 128,789 t in 2020 (the peak) and 59,158 t in 2024 (Mongabay). More than 50% of the pelagic catch went to fishmeal in 2021, at about 5 kg of raw fish per 1 kg of fishmeal. The plants were supplied in part by Senegalese migrant purse seiners: over 200 units at Nouadhibou catching about 135,000 t a year, all sold to fishmeal factories, and about 400 purse seiners at Nouakchott catching about 150,000 t, which the study put at "roughly three times" the 50,000 t set in the agreement, with over 40% (60,000 t) going to the factories. Turkish-flagged purse seiners first arrived in 2016; the fleet fell from 59 in 2022 to 40 in 2023 and 32 in 2024.
Mongabay described the regulation as follows. A 2016 circular set a 10,000 t raw-fish quota per plant, cut by 15% a year until 2019. Decree 643-2021 (May 2021) required freezing on vessels and at plants and banned round sardinella, horse mackerel, chub mackerel and yellow mullet for fishmeal; in 2022 the ban was extended to flat sardinella and bonga shad. A small pelagics management plan adopted as law in November 2022 limited vessels over 40 m to waters deeper than 30 m, vessels over 26 m to waters 20 m deep or more, and banned fishing for fishmeal within 12 nautical miles of the coast. On 19 August 2021 the fisheries ministry gave a 40 m Turkish purse seiner a "special derogation" to fish in Zone A, adjacent to Banc d'Arguin National Park; it ended the derogation on 5 November 2021, citing the "inconclusive results of the experimentation" (CFFA). Mongabay's January 2026 report describes the fall in active plants as the result of the 2021–2022 measures together with ministry licence withdrawals. Its September 2025 survey counted 30 plants in Nouadhibou (6 licences withdrawn, 7 abandoned, 8 operational, 9 in care and maintenance) and 14 at PK28 and Port Tanit (5 lost licences, 2 abandoned, 7 in care and maintenance, none operational), with 8 active in total.
The EU's current Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement protocol (provisional application from 16 November 2021, expiring on 14 November 2026) provides a total EU contribution of EUR 60.8 million a year: EUR 57.5 million a year for access and sectoral support of about EUR 3.3 million a year. EUR 7.5 million of the contribution is conditional on adoption of a new small pelagics management plan. Category 6 (pelagic freezer trawlers) allows 225,000 t for 19 vessels, at EUR 75/t for sardines and sardinellas. The EU's average uptake of the fishing opportunities was 55%. The earlier 2008–2012 protocol carried a total contribution of EUR 86 million in year 1 falling to EUR 70 million in year 4, including EUR 1 million a year for Banc d'Arguin National Park. Separately, the Chinese company Poly-Hondone Pelagic Fishery Co. agreed a USD 100 million investment in a fish-processing plant at Nouadhibou in exchange for fishing licences, in force from 2010 for 25 years.
A preliminary summary of the FAO Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish off Northwest Africa (meeting 25 June–2 July 2024, chaired by Cheikh-Baye Braham of IMROP) found 5 of 9 stocks overexploited, including round and flat sardinella across the whole subregion. It reported the 2023 round sardinella biomass as the lowest in the historical series and recommended that Mauritania's ban on use in fishmeal be maintained and extended to the entire subregion. IMROP data cited by Mongabay show flat sardinella made up 17% of fishmeal input in 2023 and 15% in 2024, although it has been banned for fishmeal since 2022.
- 2008Fewer than 3 fishmeal factories in Mauritania
- 2008EU–Mauritania protocol 2008–2012 begins, including EUR 1 million a year for Banc d'Arguin National Park
- 2010Poly-Hondone fishing agreement with China enters into force for 25 years
- 201535 fishmeal plants authorised
- 2016Circular sets a 10,000 t raw-fish quota per plant; Turkish-flagged purse seiners first arrive
- 2020Fishmeal production peaks at 128,789 t
- 2021Decree 643-2021 (May); 44 plants authorised; Zone A derogation granted 19 August and ended 5 November; current EU protocol applies provisionally from 16 November
- 2022Fishmeal ban extended to flat sardinella and bonga shad; small pelagics management plan adopted as law (November)
- 2024FAO/CECAF working group meets in Dakar (25 June–2 July) and assesses sardinella as overexploited; fishmeal production 59,158 t
- 2025September survey by Mongabay: 8 plants active
- 2026Mongabay reports the end of the fishmeal expansion (January); current EU protocol expires 14 November
What was said
Claims, in the words of those who made them.
“Both stocks are in a critical situation, heavily overexploited and with very low biomass levels.”
“The biomass in 2023 is the lowest in the entire historical series.”
“is destruction”
“opens the way to plundering fish resources”
“This is big business stripping life from our oceans”
“the implementation of sectoral support lacks transparency”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Annual fishing opportunities under the EU protocol
Government and regulators
European Commission (DG MARE page)
280,050 t a year.
European Commission DG MAREGovernment and regulators
European Parliament Legislative Observatory
Up to 290,000 t a year.
European Parliament Legislative ObservatoryNumber of fishmeal plants
Researchers
Dème et al., Frontiers in Marine Science (2023)
41 licensed, functional factories (33 in Nouadhibou, 8 in Nouakchott).
Dème E.B. et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 10Press and investigations
Mongabay
44 plants authorised in 2021; 8 active in September 2025.
Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)Jobs in the fishmeal industry
Researchers
IMROP, as cited by Dème et al.
About 1,200 jobs.
Dème E.B. et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 10Why fishmeal plants stopped operating
Government and regulators
Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy (Mohamed Ould M'Bareck)
Fishmeal is destruction rather than value creation; the policy aims to phase it out.
Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)Company or project
Mohamed Lemine Areira, Bountiya plant owners' association
The purse seiners supplying Nouadhibou have almost disappeared.
Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)Company or project
Hamady, Sinorim
There are not enough fish in waters open to industrial vessels.
Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)Company or project
Levent Gülkaya, Mahelturk
Companies are shifting from fishmeal to freezing.
Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)Communities and civil society
Harouna Lebaye, Artisanal Fishing Free Federation
The sector runs in parallel to the economy and excludes Mauritanian artisanal fishermen.
Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)The Poly-Hondone fishing agreement with China
Government and regulators
Parliamentary commission of inquiry on the governance of former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (2008–2019)
Found the agreement behind schedule and said it opens the way to plundering fish resources (a parliamentary finding, not a court ruling). As of November 2020 the government kept the agreement in force and was negotiating renewal of its five-yearly memorandum.
Financial Afrik (Samba Camara)Government and regulators
Chinese embassy in Nouakchott
Publicly defended Poly-Hondone and praised the agreement.
Financial Afrik (Samba Camara)Communities and civil society
Oumy Sène, Greenpeace Afrique
The convention must be denounced without delay.
Global VoicesHow it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
- Fishmeal "is destruction" rather than value creation, and the policy aims to phase it out.Mohamed Ould M'Bareck, Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, to Mongabay, January 2026 · Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- The Poly-Hondone agreement was publicly defended and praised.Chinese embassy in Nouakchott, as reported by Financial Afrik, 2020 · Financial Afrik (Samba Camara)
- About 450 jobs were created for Mauritanian seafarers under the EU agreement.European Commission evaluation, as summarised by AGRINFO · AGRINFO
- Mauritania had the second-highest number of authorised fishmeal plants in the world after Peru in 2021.Mongabay, January 2026 · Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
Recorded
- Fishmeal production fell from 128,789 t in 2020 to 59,158 t in 2024; 8 plants were active in September 2025.
- The FAO/CECAF working group assessed 5 of 9 small pelagic stocks as overexploited in 2024, including round and flat sardinella (preliminary results).
- Flat sardinella made up 17% (2023) and 15% (2024) of fishmeal input although banned for fishmeal since 2022 (IMROP data cited by Mongabay).
- EUR 7.5 million of the EU contribution is conditional on adoption of a new small pelagics management plan.
- The on-board scientific observation programme under the EU protocol was not implemented, according to the EU evaluation summarised by AGRINFO.
- The EU evaluation found some fish stocks overexploited.
Who gained
Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.
Reached nature or the ground
Not published
Spending directed at recovery of the overexploited sardinella stocks—
None on record.
Gained elsewhere
Not totalled
EU financial contribution per year, 2021–2026 protocol€61m
Window: 2021–2026
EUR 57.5 million a year for access plus sectoral support of about EUR 3.3 million a year.
Part of the EU contribution conditional on a new small pelagics management plan€7.5m
Window: 2021–2026
EU total contribution, year 1 of the 2008–2012 protocol€86m
Window: 2008–2012
EU total contribution, year 4 of the 2008–2012 protocol€70m
Window: 2008–2012
Chinese investment in a processing plant (Poly-Hondone)—
USD 100 million, stated in USD; in exchange for fishing licences, 25 years from 2010.
Investment in the fishmeal industry—
USD 90 million (2013) to USD 349 million (2018), per IMROP 2019 as cited by Dème et al.
Currency: EUR · Window: Mixed — see each line. Figures cover different periods and are not compared as a ratio. * Estimate built from cited figures.
Responses on record
- mauritania-gov (January 2026): Mohamed Ould M'Bareck of the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy told Mongabay that fishmeal is destruction rather than value creation and that the policy aims to phase it out. · Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
- china-gov (2020): The Chinese embassy in Nouakchott publicly defended Poly-Hondone and praised the agreement. · Financial Afrik (Samba Camara)
- european-commission: Its evaluation, as summarised by AGRINFO, found that the implementation of sectoral support lacks transparency, raised concerns about expenditure discrepancies and missing supporting documents in Mauritania's past use of funds, and reported about 450 jobs created for Mauritanian seafarers. · AGRINFO
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2025Outcome not on recordMinistry licence withdrawals and sanctions against fishmeal plantsMinistry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy · Administrative · Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy → Fishmeal plant operators
By September 2025 the ministry had withdrawn 6 licences in Nouadhibou and plants at PK28 and Port Tanit had lost 5 (Mongabay). The SFHP director said plants were fined and suspended for processing "good fish"; no amounts are on record. Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
Small pelagic stocks overexploited
5 of 9
FAO/CECAF working group, 2024 (preliminary)
Round sardinella biomass, 2023
Lowest
In the entire historical series
Fishmeal production
128,789 t → 59,158 t
2020 peak to 2024
Plants active, September 2025
8
44 plants were authorised in 2021
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Disputed Why fishmeal plants stopped operating
Money
- None on record Spending directed at recovery of the overexploited sardinella stocks — None on record.
- None on record Chinese investment in a processing plant (Poly-Hondone) — USD 100 million, stated in USD; in exchange for fishing licences, 25 years from 2010.
- None on record Investment in the fishmeal industry — USD 90 million (2013) to USD 349 million (2018), per IMROP 2019 as cited by Dème et al.
Court
- Unclear Ministry licence withdrawals and sanctions against fishmeal plants: outcome not on record.
Accounts
Record
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: Mauritania's fishmeal export revenue. Mongabay does not report it, and Dème et al. give only a regional share of about 15% of fishery export value.
- Unclear Unclear: how far operating plants comply with the fishmeal rules; Mongabay describes the degree of compliance as unclear.
- Unclear Unclear: whether any decree after 2022 contributed to the 2025 fall in active plants; Mongabay's January 2026 report describes the 2021–2022 measures and ministry licence withdrawals.
- Insufficient Insufficient: the 2024 CECAF stock assessment is preliminary and not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee.
- Not measured Not measured: the on-board scientific observation programme under the EU protocol was not implemented, according to the EU evaluation summarised by AGRINFO.
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the amounts of the fines imposed on plants; the director of the SFHP plant told Mongabay that plants were fined and suspended for processing "good fish".
- Unclear Unclear: the status of the EU–Mauritania protocol after its expiry on 14 November 2026, and the status of the Poly-Hondone convention in 2026.
Did the harm stop?
Not established. The 2024 assessment still classed round and flat sardinella as overexploited, and flat sardinella appeared in fishmeal input in 2023 and 2024 after its 2022 ban.
Who paid?
The sardinella stocks, with round sardinella biomass in 2023 at the lowest in the historical series. No spending on stock recovery is on record; the EU paid EUR 60.8 million a year for access and sectoral support under the 2021–2026 protocol.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society✓ Researchers✓ International bodies
Government and regulators
- Mauritania: Sustainable Fisheries Partnership AgreementEuropean Commission DG MARE · 2026-10-19
- EU/Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Implementing Protocol, 2021/0300(NLE)European Parliament Legislative Observatory · 2022-06-08
- EC/Mauritania Fisheries Partnership Agreement protocol 2008–2012, 2008/0093(CNS)European Parliament Legislative Observatory · 2008-05-13
Press and investigations
- Mauritania's fishmeal fever ends as government tightens regulationMongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn) · 2026-01-13
- EU and Mauritania fisheries partnership agreementAGRINFO · 2026-01-06
- Nouakchott maintient une convention de pêche jugée illégale (Nouakchott keeps a fishing agreement deemed illegal)Financial Afrik (Samba Camara) · 2020-11-17
- What has become of Mauritania's fishermen fifteen years after the agreement with China?Global Voices · 2025-08-04
Communities and civil society
- Greenpeace intercepts fish oil tanker as dramatic industry expansion threatens livelihoods in West AfricaGreenpeace Africa · 2021-10-07
- Mauritania: A 40-metre seiner authorised to fish at the gates of the Banc d'ArguinCFFA (B. Gorez) · 2021-09-13
Researchers
- Contribution of small-scale migrant fishing to the emergence of the fishmeal industry in West AfricaDème E.B. et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 10 · 2023-03-29
International bodies
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- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576 wood import ban
- Fukushima treated water discharge and Chinese seafood ban Japan · 2023–2025
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: Banned Japanese seafood imports
- Garagum Canal and Amu Darya: conveyance losses, salinisation and the money around them Turkmenistan · 1954–2026
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: AQUASTAT profile with loss, salinity and cost figures
- Germany agreed €2.6bn and €1.75bn coal exit payments to RWE and LEAG Germany · 2019–2023
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: approved the RWE payment
- Gezira irrigation scheme: wartime losses in Al Gezira State Sudan · 2023–2026
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Source of the wheat production figure
- Great Green Wall: USD 19bn tracked, USD 2.5bn disbursed by March 2023, and a restored area reported at between 1.66 and almost 18 million hectares Sahel (11 countries) · 2007–2026
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Donor; land restoration pillar USD 208 million
- Great Man-Made River Project (Libya) and the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer Libya · 1983–2019
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Irrigation and withdrawal data
- Hamoun wetlands, Helmand water and the EU/UNDP restoration project Iran · 1973–2025
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Funder of the €10 million restoration project
- HFC-23 and SF6 Joint Implementation projects at KCKK Polymer and HaloPolymer Perm Russia · 2008–2015
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Regulation 550/2011 banning HFC-23 credits from 2013
- Human Rights Watch reports about 930,000 relocated in Tibet for ecological protection China · 2024
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: authority that carried out the relocations, as reported
- Ili River and Lake Balkhash: inflow from China, Kapshagay releases and a French-funded master plan Kazakhstan · 2024–2026
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: Upstream state on the Ili; counterpart in the draft agreement
- Jadar lithium project Serbia · 2022–2025
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Defendant in the strategic-status case (European Commission)
- Kenya's two official figures: 8.83% forest cover and 12.13% tree cover Kenya · 2001–2026
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: global forest definition and assessment
- Kenyan forest guards shoot dead Sengwer herder Robert Kirotich during evictions Kenya · 2018–2024
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: donor; suspended support for the WaTER programme
- Kenyan water-tower forest evictions followed the 2018 shooting of a Sengwer herder Kenya · 2016–2024
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: funder of the WaTER programme
- Kerch Strait storm, November 2007: Volgoneft 139 fuel-oil spill and sulphur-ship sinkings Russia · 2007–2018
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP
- Khimki forest and the M11 Moscow–St Petersburg toll motorway (km 15–58) Russia · 2007–2025
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Letter to an MEP on EIB and EBRD financing conditions
- Lake Chad: the 90% shrinkage figure, the Transaqua water-transfer plan and a proposed USD 50bn Lake Chad Fund Chad · 1960–2021
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Reported the 90% shrinkage in 2009
- Lliuya v RWE Peru · 2025
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Approved the German compensation payment to RWE (13 December 2023)
- Mekong upstream dams and the decline of Tonle Sap flow reversal Cambodia · 1962–2026
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: Operator of the upper Mekong (Lancang) dams; rejected the 2019 low-flow attribution
- Messok Dja ecoguard abuses (Republic of Congo) Republic of Congo · 2008–2020
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Funder; suspended about €1 million in 2020
- Methane super-emitters in Turkmenistan's oil and gas fields Turkmenistan · 2017–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Methane import rules apply to gas contracts from 2027
- Mongolia index livestock insurance Mongolia · 2024
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Source of the GIEWS dzud update
- Mongolia's dzud winters and degraded pasture: emergency funding for herders Mongolia · 2010–2024
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: CERF recipient agency
- Morocco says it cut cadmium in phosphate fertilisers; EU cannot verify the claim Morocco · 2025
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: acknowledges it cannot verify Morocco's claim
- Munition residues and war damage in Ukrainian soils: measurements and state damage assessments Ukraine · 2022–2026
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Satellite and soil analysis of damaged arable land
- Non-peer-reviewed study links China's 1958 sparrow campaign to famine deaths China · 1958–1960
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: ran the Four Pests campaign
- Nonylphenol ethoxylates: Swiss ban and EU restriction Switzerland · 1984–2014
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Adopted Directive 2003/53/EC
- Plastic waste imports into Türkiye (Adana) Türkiye · 2016–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Assessed Türkiye under Article 45(5) of the Waste Shipment Regulation
- Posidonia oceanica meadows (Balearics, Mediterranean) Spain · 2018–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Habitats Directive: Posidonia beds are a priority habitat
- Prestige Spain · 2002–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Provided more than €275m in aid
- Russian Joint Implementation credits under the Kyoto Protocol, 2009–2012 Russia · 2009–2015
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Regulation 550/2011; EU ETS credit data
- Sengwer evictions from Embobut forest and the EU Water Towers programme (Kenya) Kenya · 2014–2024
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Funder of the WaTER programme
- Spain: environmental liability financial guarantee (EU Directive Art. 14) Spain · 2004
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Evaluated the directive and reported on mandatory financial security
- Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve: 2019 boundary change around CNPC oil blocks Niger · 2012–2023
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Funds reserve management (PAPBIO programme)
- Trade rules curb green industrial policy; WTO rules against Indonesia nickel ban Global · 2013–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Complainant in the Indonesia nickel case; respondent in the palm oil and CBAM disputes
- Ukraine's Joint Implementation credits and Kyoto unit sales to Japan and Spain, 2008–2021 Ukraine · 2008–2021
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Set rules on use of international credits
- Used cooking oil and POME biofuel certification: fraud allegations (ISCC, EU/UK) European Union · 2016–2025
- European Commission (Public authority) — here: Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms; there: Regulator; anti-dumping duties; recognition of ISCC
- Uzbek cotton boycott ends forced labour Uzbekistan · 2017–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Trade partner (trade preference)
- Venezuela tree cover loss, 2001–2024, and international forest finance Venezuela · 2001–2024
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Agency for GEF projects 5410, 10678 and 11115 and GCF readiness
- Vietnam's forest recovery and logging displaced abroad Vietnam · 1987–2006
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (International organisation) — here: FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks; there: Author of the 2001 review of logging bans
- Wadi El Ku catchment project, North Darfur Sudan · 2013–2026
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Funder, EUR 6.45 million for phase 1
- World Bank and development bank accountability mechanisms: Embobut (Sengwer), Tata Mundra, Arun III, Jale, Cambodia Kenya · 2007–2024
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Funder of the WaTER programme
- World Bank-backed dams displaced people, and reviews found incomes often not restored Global · 1985–2018
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: Host government for the Three Gorges dam
- WTO panel backs EU on palm biofuel rules in Malaysia case Global · 2025
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Respondent; set the renewable-status rules
- WTO panel found Indonesia's raw nickel export ban breached rules Indonesia · 2020–2022
- European Union (International organisation) — here: Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol; there: Brought the complaint at the WTO
- Yangtze ten-year fishing ban China · 2020–2030
- Government of China (Government) — here: Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement; there: Regulator; ban and compensation