Strasbourg, 04/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 4 April, the European Parliament rejected the Council's request for an urgency procedure to adopt the opinion on the text of a fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco. Nonetheless it accepted an accelerated procedure to be in a position to give its advisory opinion at the plenary session of 15 to 18 May, which would allow the agreement to come into force on 1st June. The Council had asked the EP to give its opinion at this current session to allow European Fisheries Ministers to reach agreement during their 25 April meeting. The entry into effect of the EU-Morocco agreement, which had been planned for 1st May 2006, will, then, be postponed by one month, since the Council must wait for the EP's opinion, even advisory, before finally adopting the regulation. When the agreement between the parties was signed in July 2005, the fisheries agreement was intended to come into force on 1st March 2006.
The Council's request for urgency on this agreement was widely opposed by the EP, with 127 MEPs voting against, 53 voting for and 2 abstentions. Philippe Morillon (ALDE, France) said that, the previous evening in the Parliament's fisheries committee, there had been a clear majority (14 to 9) for the rejection of the Council's request. “Agreeing to this request would have been like signing a blank cheque” on this agreement, “when the debate is far from over,” said Mr Morillon. The fisheries committee, however, agreed to an accelerated procedure: after the debate on 18 or 19 April, the Parliamentary committee is expected to adopt the draft report by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegne (EPP-ED, Spain) on the agreement on 3 May. Then the EP could adopt the opinion during the plenary session of 15 to 18 May in Strasbourg, ahead of the Agriculture-Fisheries Council of 22 and 23 May. “Since the first payments from this agreement are due to be made at the end of June, this request for a time for reflection will not cause any major problems” for the EU fishers who will fish in Moroccan waters, concluded Mr Morillon. The rapporteur, Mr Suanzes-Carpegna, and Carmen Fraga Estevez (EPP-ED, Spain) voiced their opposition to the Council request. However, Heinz Kindermann (SPD) called on Parliament to agree to the urgency vote so as not to penalise Community fishers.
EU Member States still have some problems in coming to an agreement on how to share some fishing licences (see EUROPE 9165). Spain, which has the lion's share with 95 of the 119 licences, would like further licences for some vessels. France wanted 4 licences for vessels in the first category (80-100 GT seine netters) but only got one. It received ten licences for category five vessels (pole-and-line vessels), although the French fleet has only four of this type of vessel. France, then, is contesting the planned share which would, in fact, mean the loss of six licences without any further licences for categories of vessels of more direct relevance by way of compensation.