Tánger port. (Photo: BD Comunicacion)

Hispano-Moroccan Commission disagrees on possible invalidity of EU-Morocco fisheries agreement

SPAIN
Thursday, January 18, 2018, 02:10 (GMT + 9)

The Hispano-Moroccan Mixed Commission of Fisheries Professionals has expressed its disagreement with the conclusions of the Advocate Advocate of the Court of Justice of the EU, Melchior Wathelet on the legal validity of the fisheries agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Mixed Commission considers that the agreement does guarantee respect for international law and human rights and, since the opinion of the Advocate General counsel is not binding, it trusts that the Court of Justice of the EU will adopt a judgment favorable to the validity of the agreement.

In this sense, the members of the Mixed Commission have been surprised by the recognition that Wathelet makes in his conclusions that "several of the answers to be given to these questions will have political ramifications". For the Mixed Commission, the fact that the Advocate General recognizes that in his assessments will not only make legal but also political evaluations, "is out of place."

The Mixed Commission underlines the intense cooperation that Morocco and the EU maintain within the framework of the neighborhood policy that led the country to accede to the "Advanced Statute" in 2008. It notes that "unfortunately, the Advocate General does not seem to be willing to take into account the richness and depth of relations between Morocco and the EU.

According to the co-presidents of the Mixed Hispano-Moroccan Commission of Fishing Professionals, Omar Akouri and Javier Garat, "the fisheries agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco has proved to be positive for both parties and is also essential for advance in the sustainable management of fisheries resources."

The Mixed Commission also notes that between 2014 and 2016, the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement generated 1,000 work contracts corresponding to the embarkation of Moroccan sailors on EU vessels.

Also, it highlights that most of the sectoral support foreseen in the protocol has been assigned to the regions administrations of Dakhla-Oued Eddahab (47 percent) and Laâyoune-Sakia-El Hamra (19 percent), favoring the local populations of the south.

The Mixed Hispano-Moroccan Commission of Fishing Professionals was created in 2011 by the Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Federation of Morocco (FPMA), the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA) and the Association of Importing Companies of Perishable Products of the Port of Algeciras (AIMPA), in order to promote business relations between both countries, propose measures to improve the flow of trade and defend common interests.

Related articles:

- Calming message given to sector involved in EU-Morocco fisheries agreement
- EU-Morocco fisheries agreement should be declared invalid, according to legal adviser

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