The draft text of a partnership agreement proposed by the European Commission on 18 March 2020 includes an article on common objectives, which covers the following:
(a) upholding clear and stable rules and existing reciprocal conditions on access to waters and resources;
(b) ensuring that fishing activities are environmentally sustainable in the long term and contribute to achieving economic, social and employment benefits;
(c) applying and maintaining the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate in order to restore and maintain populations of harvested species at levels which can produce the maximum sustainable yield;
(d) ensuring the rapid recovery of stocks below Blim to levels which can produce the maximum sustainable yield;
(e) cooperating on the development of measures for the conservation, management and regulation of fisheries in a non-discriminatory manner, while preserving the regulatory autonomy of the Parties;
(f) eliminating discards by avoiding and reducing unwanted catches, and by ensuring that all catches are landed;
(g) promoting the protection of marine biological resources and their environments and coastal areas;
(h) applying the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management and ensuring that negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised;
(i) following a precautionary approach to fisheries management;
(j) ensuring cooperation on data collection and scientific advice to support stock assessments;
(k) ensuring cooperation on monitoring, control and surveillance activities, including the fight against illegal unreported and unregulated fisheries;
(l...