The Kingdom of Morocco and the European Union would appear to have reached agreement on Friday 20 July on the content of the future sustainable fisheries agreement and the accompanying implementation protocol.
“Both parties have agreed the provisions of and improvements to these texts to optimise the outcomes and benefits for the local people in the areas concerned in full compliance with the principles of sustainable management of fisheries resources and fairness”, says a draft joint press release a copy of which has been obtained by EUROPE.
The two sides pledge to take the measures necessary so that the fisheries agreement and protocol can come into force “as quickly as possible”.
The previous EU-Morocco fisheries agreement expired on Saturday 14 July. Covering the period from 2014 to 2018, it allowed 126 vessels from 11 member states, including 99 Spanish boats, to fish in Moroccan waters. In return, the EU paid annual compensation of €30 million, €14 million of which was to support the development of the Moroccan fisheries sector.
In the renegotiation, the two parties also had to take account of the ruling in February by the Court of Justice which stated that the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement complied with EU law so long as it did not include the Western Sahara and adjacent waters (see EUROPE 11970). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)