The European Union and Morocco met in Andalusia at the end of last week to begin discussion on extending the fisheries agreement signed in 2014 which will expire in two years’ time.
Talks have begun so far ahead of the 2018 expiry date because of the technical complexity of the discussions ahead, according to Andalusian vessel owners quoted in the Spanish press. It is argued that certain aspects of the current agreement need to be amended, for example, the requirement to land catches in Moroccan ports, which is a source of difficulty because of “the lack of basic infrastructure”. However, “both parties had, two years earlier, placed their hopes on the socio-economic impact of the landings made”, noted the Moroccan online newspaper Yabiladi.
The European Commission says that the discussions reported in the Spanish press were not advance negotiations but technical talks between DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and representatives of owners of vessels operating in Moroccan waters, attended by the Spanish fisheries authorities. The meeting focused principally on small-scale fishermen, some of whom (category 1 in the agreement, i.e. gross tonnage 3,000 GT) have to comply with the obligation to land catches in Moroccan ports.
The purpose of the meeting was to encourage better compliance with this obligation which sources at the Commission say is barely observed by small-scale fishing vessel owners. The fact that no Moroccan representatives attended the meeting removes any suggestion of EU-Morocco negotiations, it being much too soon for that, EUROPE's sources say. (Original version in French by Fathi B'Chir)