Brussels, 03/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Spanish Socialist MEP Clara Aguilera García put forward a priority question at the end of last month (a procedure that requires a swift answer) to the European Commission regarding the delays in the application of the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement (see EUROPE 10981).
Aguilera García, who is a member of the European Parliament's fisheries committee and is also in charge of agricultural policy at the regional Andalusian government, is concerned about the delays in ratifying the Euro-Moroccan fisheries agreement published in the EU Official Journal on 7 December 2013.
According to the MEP, this delay is affecting Spanish fishing boats and she deplored the fact that, “for the past two years and eight months, fishing fleet has been affected and other sectors indirectly involved in fishing have had to bear the economic and work costs because the agreement has not entered into force. They have not received aid, except during the first 12 months. In certain cases, fishing has ground to a halt, even though fishing licences have been paid”. She called on the Commission to explain why this delay had taken place (our translation throughout). .
Aguilera García is calling for direct aid to be granted if the next joint EU-Morocco planned for 10 September but which could possibly be brought forward to 4 September, “does not manage to get out of this impasse”. (FB)