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Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, has responded to the European Court of Justice decision regarding the EU-Morocco fisheries deal, noting that “the verdict does not clearly say that there is a ban on fishing in the waters of southern provinces.”
According to Spanish news agency EFE, the minister said that European boats have the right to keep fishing in Moroccan waters until the current agreement expires in July.
Akhannouch told the press on Tuesday that “the agreement is valid. The court did not follow the recommendation or the opinion of [Melchior Wathelet],” who made the comments that the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement should be declared null and void because it includes Western Sahara.
The Moroccan official added that, “the court did not prohibit fishing in the territorial areas,” and that “negotiations for another agreement will be conducted when things will be more clarified with the European Union and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries.”
Today, the European Court of Justice announced its verdict on the EU-Morocco fisheries deal, reaffirming the validity of the deal between the two parties as long as it does not involve the waters of Western Sahara.
According to the ECJ, the fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco “is valid insofar as it is not applicable to Western Sahara to its adjacent waters.”
Legal experts and analysts have been raising concerns about the decision of the court, urging it to exceed its legal mandate by meddling in politics.
