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Rabat – Spain’s Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas has said that the EU is prepared for any scenario with regard to the Morocco Brussel fishing agreement.
Planas’ remarks come following recommendations made by an EU top court adviser, who upheld the EU Justice Court’s decision to rule against the EU-Morocco agreement.
The Spanish minister cautioned against jumping to conclusions, noting that Morocco and the EU have navigated similarly complex situations in the past.
“But in any case, we are prepared for any scenario, in contact with the Moroccan authorities and obviously both the Council and the Commission are working on,” Planas told Spanish news agency EFE on Monday.
The Spanish minister suggested waiting for the judgment to “see what happens and what practical consequences the issue has.”
Last week, Advocate General of the European Court of Justice Tamara Capeta alleged that the agreement with Morocco did not comply with the “requirement” to treat the territory of Western Sahara as “separate and distinct” from Morocco.
While the remarks stand as a hostile position against Morocco’s territorial integrity, the recommendation brings no immediate change on the ground as the deal had already expired on July 17 of last year.
Read Also: EU-Morocco Fisheries Deal: Polisario’s Hasty Celebration Amid Significant Blow to Legitimacy
Following the expiration, Morocco emphasized that the EU and Rabat will determine the future of the agreement through comprehensive assessments.
For years, Morocco has emphasized that it would enter no agreement that does not respect the country’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty over its southern provinces.
“Any future agreement” with the EU must respect Morocco’s sovereignty “through the integration of the Sahara as a starting point,” Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita said in 2021.
Morocco “must liberate itself from the logic of blackmail that Europe practices from time to time,” he stressed, adding that a renewed dynamic with the EU requires “more coordination and vigilance” against Polisario’s maneuvers.
