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Rabat – The European Commission officially stated on Tuesday that there are currently no negotiations underway to renew the fishing agreement with Morocco.
The current protocol of the agreement is set to expire on July 17, and the European Union (EU) is awaiting the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which is expected to be announced by the end of this year. Morocco has not issued any official statement on the future of the agreement.
According to converging reports in the Spanish media, discussions between the EU and Morocco regarding fisheries are currently nonexistent.
One of the main obstacles facing the extension of the agreement is that, before deciding about the terms of any potential extension, Rabat wants to know the details of a judgment by the European Court regarding the inclusion of waters off the Western Sahara region in the Rabat-Brussels deal.
Rabat’s desire to know more about the judgment comes after the EU Court of Justice ruled in favor of the Polisario Front in 2021. The separatist front, which claims independence for Western Sahara, has long claimed that the EU’s agreement with Morocco had been concluded without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
The Court of Justice is expected to give its verdict in September, months after the agreement’s expiry date in July.
The existing agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco was put into effect on July 18, 2019. It enabled fishing activities for the EU fleet, which had been suspended since July 14, 2018.
Read also: Extension of EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement Looks Unlikely
Until the CJEU’s decision is reached, the current protocol will remain in force until its expiration date on July 17. In the absence of a new agreement and while awaiting the ruling, there is a possibility of a temporary suspension of fishing fleet activities for a few months.
Spanish media outlets have reported that the suspension could have a significant impact, particularly on Spain, as 92 out of the 138 licenses that operate in the area belong to Spanish fleets, specifically those from Andalusia, Galicia, and the Canary Islands, as confirmed by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas.
Minister Planas, who once again urged Brussels on Monday to promptly approve the new fisheries agreement with Morocco, expressed concerns about the looming deadline.
He recalled that similar situations have been experienced in the past, leading to the suspension of fishing activities. However, it has been anticipated that aid will be provided to the affected fishermen in such a scenario.
