The new fisheries deal between the European Union and Morocco provides for increased fishing possibilities for 130 EU vessels and a 30% increase in the financial contribution paid out by the Union (see EUROPE 12077).
EU ships are waiting before being able to operate in Moroccan waters again.
When will the deal take effect? Both sides must complete their internal procedures before being able to sign the agreement and its protocol. For the EU, this means that, after consulting the people concerned by the agreement, the Council should adopt the decision to sign and then forward the text to the European Parliament. The latter must then give its consent (report drafted in the parliamentary committee on fisheries and then adopted in European Parliament plenary).
After the European Parliament’s consent and ratification of the deal by the member states, the Council will be able to adopt the final decision to conclude the agreement. Both parties have undertaken to take the necessary measures to ensure the fisheries deal can take effect as soon as possible, bearing in mind the specific particularities for the complex work of ratification. The purpose of this is to limit the transition phase as far as possible and allow EU vessels to return to the fishing zone as soon as the next protocol comes into effect.
Both sides may decide on provisional application of the agreement and protocol at the time of signing the deal – as this has not yet been decided
Western Sahara. The deal contains a definition of the fishing area, including an explicit reference to the waters adjacent to the Western Saharan territory.
With a view to taking account of the Court of Justice rulings on the bilateral agreements with Morocco (see EUROPE 11694 for farming issues and EUROPE 11970 for fishing), the Union will ensure that all people concerned by the new agreement will be duly consulted and that the expected socio-economic impact will be of proportional benefit to those populations.
In relation to consultation of the populations concerned, the Commission, in liaison with the European External Action Service, will conduct a process aimed at including a maximum of institutions, authorities, economic operators and civil society organisations.
Technical improvements. The general provisions on the obligation to offload catches locally are now more flexible than in the previous protocol (offloading was taken into account after each fishing sortie). Henceforth, fishing boats may, to a certain extent, spread out local offloading operations.
The number of non-industrial seiners (boats in category 1) authorised to fish in the northern area has increased from 20 to 22 and their authorised gross tonnage has also increased (from 100 to 150 gross tonnage).
The maximum gross tonnage authorised for non-industrial pole-and-line vessels fishing in the south (boats in category 3) and boats fishing demersal species (category 4) has increased.
Fishing possibilities for industrial pelagic fisheries (category 6) have risen significantly. The previous annual quota was 80,000 tonnes, while the new protocol provides for a quota of 85,000 tonnes the first year, 90,000 tonnes the second year and 100,000 tonnes the third and fourth years. Fees paid by EU shipowners for categories 1 to 5 remain at the same level as in the 2014-2018 protocol. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)