This report provides an ex post and an ex ante evaluation of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) between the European Union (EU) and Greenland1. The initial FPA ran until 31 December 2012 and is tacitly renewed for six-year periods. The current Protocol to the EU/Greenland FPA runs from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020. The Greenland-EU FPA/Protocol is a 'mixed agreement', which permits EU vessels to fish in Greenlandic waters for cod, pelagic and demersal redfish, Greenland halibut, shrimp, grenadier and capelin. Small amounts of bycatch (grenadier and other species) are permitted. The agreement is unique amongst the EU's fisheries agreements in that it is the only one in northern waters for which financial compensation is paid for access (other northern agreements being based on transfers/exchanges of quota), and the only agreement based on financial compensation with a relatively developed country (with implications for its ability and capacity to manage resources effectively and its sectoral support needs). Indicative annual fishing opportunities total 42 726 tonnes, with Greenland offering and the EU accepting a part of total Greenlandic quotas for individual species each year based on scientific advice and the needs of both the EU and Greenlandic private sectors. The EU also transfers part of the agreed quota to Norway and the Faroe Islands, in exchange for access by EU vessels to the waters of those third countries. The Protocol provides annually for EUR 13 168 978 from the EU budget as financial compensation for access (calculated based on reference prices for each species) including a financial reserve of EUR 1 700 000 for additional quantities of species, with actual financial compensation for access being based on the quota agreed for the EU. In addition, EU ship-owners pay authorisation fees based on prices set in the Protocol for the quota allocated. EUR 2 931 000 are also provided from the EU budget to support Greenlandic sectoral fisheries policy. The methodology for this evaluation included a review of literature and data, and consultations (some face to face, and some remotely) with stakeholders in Greenland and in the EU. The scope of the ex post evaluation covers the FPA and the Protocol, performance over the first full three calendar years (2016 to 2018), and assessment against standard evaluation criteria. The scope of the ex ante evaluation includes the needs of both parties, defining objectives, learning lessons from the past, and an assessment of future options. Planning for the future and potential appropriations and allocation of human resources are also considered.

This publication displays the menu for choice of available methods to evaluate the impact of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). It caters mainly to policy makers from developing countries and aims to equip them with some economic knowledge and techniques that will enable them to conduct their own economic evaluation studies on existing or future FTAs, or to critically re-examine the results of impact assessment studies conducted by others, at the very least.

The 2016-2020 Protocol implementing the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the EU and Cook Islands (CK) considers access of a maximum of 4 EU purse seiners in exchange for an annual EU financial compensation of EUR 385 000 the first two years and EUR 350 000 the last two years, plus an annual maximum amount of EUR 350 000 for the support and implementation of the CK's sectoral policy. The Protocol also foresees payment of access fees by EU operators benefiting from fishing opportunities. The Protocol will expire next 13 October 2020.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

New evidence this year corroborates the rise in world hunger observed in this report last year, sending a warning that more action is needed if we aspire to end world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. Updated estimates show the number of people who suffer from hunger has been growing over the past three years, returning to prevailing levels from almost a decade ago. Although progress continues to be made in reducing child stunting, over 22 percent of children under five years of age are still affected. Other forms of malnutrition are also growing: adult obesity continues to increase in countries irrespective of their income levels, and many countries are coping with multiple forms of malnutrition at the same time – overweight and obesity, as well as anaemia in women, and child stunting and wasting.

The 2015-2020 Protocol implementing the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the EU and Liberia considers access to the Liberian EEZ for a maximum of 28 tuna purse seiners and 6 surface longliners in exchange for an annual EU financial compensation of EUR 357 000 for the first year, EUR 325 000 for the second, third and fourth years and EUR 292 500 for the last year, plus an annual maximum amount for the support and implementation of the Liberia's fisheries sectoral policy equal to the EU annual compensation. The Protocol also foresees payment of access fees by EU operators benefiting from fishing opportunities. The Protocol will expire on 8 December 2020.