On Tuesday 24 July, the European Union and Morocco officially signed the new fisheries agreement concluded after long negotiations on 20 July (see EUROPE 12067).
The new agreement gives EU vessels access to the “Moroccan fisheries zone”, without any further specification on the controversial issue of the Western Sahara (an area whose sovereignty is disputed between Morocco and the Polisario Front, which is seeking the region’s independence) over which the European Court of Justice imposed renegotiation of the previous agreement. The renewal of the fisheries agreement, which includes the Western Sahara, is a “response to the manoeuvring” of the Polisario Front, stated the Moroccan foreign minister at the signing.
For the EU, the level of mandatory landings and the categories of fisheries remain as they were, with up to 128 vessels (around 100 of which are Spanish), the text states.
In return, the EU will pay an economic contribution to Morocco of €52.2 million per year, up from the current €30 million.
The text still has to be approved by the European and Moroccan parliaments.