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Morocco World News with Agencies
New York, December 14, 2011
European Union lawmakers opted for a decision that will force EU Boats to leave Moroccan waters.
Today in Brussels law makers rejected a one year extension of the union’s fisheries agreement with Morocco under the pretext that this agreement might jeopardize the situation of the Sahara issue and that the EU deal “is conflicting with international law.”
The vote, passed by 326 to 296, was taken on the eve of talks between European Union fisheries ministers in Brussels, set to agree quotas for catches in the Atlantic, North and Baltic Seas as well as the the Mediterranean.
The EU Parliament called on the commission to negotiate a new deal that “is environmentally and economically beneficial and that it takes into consideration the interests of the Sharawi population.”
“This should not be seen as a hostile move towards our partners; it should rather be seen as us taking ourselves seriously on a very important issue,” said Finnish liberal MEP Mr. Haglund in the debate before the vote.
Mr. Haglund went on to say that “There is no doubt that we all want a good agreement,” stressing his preference for a better future agreement with Morocco.
This decision will force the European Union fishermen to cease their activities and leave the shores of Morocco, including in the Sahara Region, after they had been allowed to operate, waiting for a formal agreement to be signed between the European parliament and Morocco.
Critics had put the sustainability agreement under scrutiny questioning whether the inhabitant of the Sahara were going to benefit from the agreement as mandated by the United Nations.
“The decision would undermine further talk with Morocco over a long term fisheries agreement,” said French centre-right lawmaker Alain Cadec, who described this parliament’s decision as “meaningless”.
“the European Commission said on Monday that if this accord was not adopted by the parliament, there would be no future fisheries agreement with Morocco,” Alain Cadec added in a statement carried by Reuters.
The bloc’s fisheries chief Maria Damanaki said the Commission would respect the parliament’s decision, and propose repealing the provisional approval of fishing rights in the region at a meeting of EU fisheries ministers on Thursday.
In accordance with an agreement signed in 2007, Morocco receives about 36 million euros ($47 million) a year from the EU to allow the latter’s fishermen to fish in its waters, including in the Sahara.
The rejected protocol, which has applied provisionally since 28 February 2011, will cease to apply immediately.
