Rabat – Morocco has again reiterated its position on the potential renewal of its fisheries agreement with the European Union (EU), with the country’s Agriculture Minister stressing that it will not be a party to any agreement that challenges its sovereignty or undermines its territorial integrity.
Minister Mohammed Sadiki renewed Morocco’s steadfast position on Tuesday at the House of Councillors, the upper house of the Moroccan parliament.
Commenting on the EU-Morocco fisheries cooperation, Sadiki stressed that such partnerships must be based on the sustainable management of marine resources in Moroccan waters, the protection of the national maritime economy, as well as the preservation of the country’s sovereignty over all its waters and its exclusive economic zone.
The maritime fisheries deal with Morocco and the EU has been in force for 30 years and is currently being implemented through a series of bilateral agreements and executive protocol, he noted, recalling that the last protocol signed in 2019 expired in July of last year. e According to him, the renewal of this protocol remains mainly linked to the position of the EU.
These new remarks come as political observers are closely monitoring updates about the uncertainty surrounding the potential renewal of the EU-Morocco fisheries in the aftermath of a top advisor of the EU Court of Justice taking what Morocco considers a hostile stance on the fisheries agreement.
In this context, Sadiki’s comments were also a response to the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, who recently issued an advisory opinion alleging that the EU Morocco fisheries deal did not comply with the “requirement” to treat the territory of Western Sahara as a “separate” and “distinct” region from Morocco.
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The opinion was celebrated by the separatist Polisario Front and its supporters despite the fact that the top court’s advisor’s recommendation will bring no immediate change on the ground as the deal had already expired last year.
In fact, many EU officials have in recent weeks called for the European bloc to commit to maintaining and further deepening its highly strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation with Morocco in a broad range of areas, including fisheries and agriculture.
Earlier this month, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, emphasized the importance of cooperation between Morocco and the EU.
This partnership is “more important than ever in the current geopolitical context,” Borrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter, noting that he had a call with Morocco’s top diplomat, Nasser Bourita, to discuss the need to give a new impetus to the EU-Morocco partnership.
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry echoed Borell’s sentiments in a readout of the Borell-Bourita call, stressing that Rabat and Brussels are linked by a strategic partnership built on a “solid foundation of values and visions.”
Meanwhile, in his remarks to the House of Councillors, Minister Sadiki emphasized that while Morocco is keen to maintain its fisheries agreement with the EU, the country does not lack alternatives or options to continue to thrive in the international fisheries market.
He explained that Morocco is present in various markets on five continents, highlighting the experience that the country has gathered through the supply of fishery products of high quality and in full compliance with health and safety standards.
The Moroccan fisheries sector presents significant potential for export and valorization, he argued, reiterating the country’s readiness to “consider all new proposals and negotiations in this regard based on available potentialities.”
