The new EU/Morocco fisheries agreement, which is due to take effect in the near future to allow EU vessels to return to Moroccan fishing waters, provides for a 30% increase in EU financial support, which will rise to over €52 million per year (see EUROPE 12069).
The head of the EU delegation in Morocco sees this as a “win-win” agreement. Morocco has also gained an increase in the number of Moroccans authorised to embark on European vessels.
Changes have been made to rule out those areas threatened by overfishing. The Mediterranean, therefore, is no longer part of Morocco’s European fishing zone. Octopus and shrimp, of which huge quantities are fished in waters off the Western Sahara, are also not included in the agreement.
The final texts were initialled in Rabat on Tuesday 24 July by representatives of both sides. The signatory parties have launched their respective legislative procedures in order to move towards ratification of the new agreement as soon as possible.
The European Commission is committed to ensuring that the present agreement will benefit all populations, including those of the Western Sahara. The text contains strict provisions regarding the geographical and social breakdown of such advantages. The Commission underlines that “This new partnership will make it possible to exploit balanced fish stocks to thus ensure the protection of the marine environment and the sustainability of fishing in the waters concerned”.
In addition, the partnership will allow European fishing fleets to gain access to Atlantic waters between Cap Spartel and Cap Blanc. Flying the flag of over ten EU member states, 128 European vessels will have authorised access to these waters (compared with 126 in the protocol which expired on 14 July). The total amount of the financial contribution paid by the Union for access by its vessels to the fishing grounds and for support to development of the sector-specific policy should increase from €37 million to €42.4 million in four years. In addition, shipowners will pay charges (€11.1 to 12.7 million). In exchange, the fishing possibilities granted to EU countries are to increase from 85,000 to 100,000 tonnes annually for small pelagic species, as well as around 7,000 tonnes annually for the other fish species (demersal species).
The EU and Morocco are committed to undertake the necessary measures to ensure the entry into force of the fisheries agreement and its protocol as soon as possible, by taking their specific institutional characteristics into account. The last protocol expired on 14 July and, since then, EU fishing vessels have left the fishing area. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)