Brussels, 21/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 21 February, the EU Council of Ministers approved a one-year extension to the current protocol to the fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco (see EUROPE 10319). The extension, which won support by qualified majority, will give the EU and Morocco time to negotiate a new bilateral fisheries partnership agreement. The current protocol expires on 27 February. Morocco still has to endorse this arrangement. Several countries (the Scandinavian countries, Germany and the United Kingdom) voted against the agreement because of the situation in the Western Sahara. They take the view that the fisheries agreement infringes international law because it includes this territory which has been annexed by Morocco since 1975. (L.C./transl.rt)