The African country will allow 128 EU ships, including 92 Spaniards, to fish in its waters.

New EU-Morocco fishing agreement includes waters from Western Sahara

EUROPEAN UNION
Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 22:10 (GMT + 9)

The European Union (EU) and Morocco have signed their new fisheries agreement, which includes waters adjacent to Western Sahara and which will benefit some 90 Spanish vessels, at a ceremony that took place on Monday in Brussels, Community sources confirmed to Europa Press.

EU Headquarters in Brussels

However, we still have to wait for the European Parliament's plenary session to give its validation vote to renew the treaty before it can enter into force. This vote is planned, in an indicative manner, for February 11, 2019, as recorded on the community institution website.

Brussels and Rabat reached an agreement on July 20 to renew their fishing agreement, almost a week after the previous one was extinguished. The EU will pay Morocco for access to its waters an annual average of EUR 52 million, of which EUR 12 million approximately must be paid by European shipowners.

Fishermen in Barbate (Cádiz)

In return, the African country will allow 128 European ships, including 92 Spaniards, to fish in its waters. In particular, 22 Spanish purse seiners of pelagic artisanal fishing in the north, 25 artisanal bottom long-liners in the north, 10 small-scale fishing vessels in the south, 12 demersal fishing vessels and 23 pole-and-line trawlers, will be able to fish in Moroccan waters for tuna catches.

In addition, the European industrial pelagic fleet will increase its fishing opportunities from 85,000 tonnes in the first year of application of the agreement to 90,000 in the second year and 100,000 in the third and fourth.

The fisheries agreement with Morocco includes fishing grounds that belong to Western Sahara despite the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU (TEU) that ruled that it could not be applied in its territory due to pending decolonization. The European Commission, however, believes that it can be included if the Saharawi population is consulted in an "adequate" manner and it is confirmed that the agreement benefits the Sahara.

Brussels says that "extensive consultations" were carried out both in Western Sahara and in Morocco, in which it became clear that "the socio-economic and political agents who participated in them were clearly in favor" of the agreement. However, they point out that the Polisario Front and "other parties" refused to participate in them.

Source: Europa Press

Related articles:

-EU and Morocco conclude negotiations for new fisheries agreement
-Brussels proposes EU-Morocco fisheries partnership agreement amendment
-CJEU validates fisheries agreement with Morocco, but excludes Western Sahara

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