Spain Anticipates New Fishing Deal with Morocco Despite Opposition

Marrakech – Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fishing, and Food, Luis Planas, expressed optimism last week about reaching a new fishing agreement with Morocco in the “near future.”

Speaking in Congress during a response to an interpellation from the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) party about challenges facing the sector, Planas stressed the importance of fishing agreements between the European Union and third countries to create more opportunities for the community fleet.

The statement comes one year after the controversial European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) annulled both the agricultural trade and fishing agreements with Morocco, ruling that they did not respect the interests of the Western Sahara people.

This unfavorable and politically-motivated decision disrupted the fishing agreement that had already been interrupted since 2023, while the commercial one was extended for 12 months and has now been modified.

The week before last, the EU Council of Ministers approved the provisional modification of the agricultural and fishery products trade agreement, which is separate from the one granting fleet access to Moroccan waters that expired in 2023.

In his reply to concerns raised during the session, Planas indicated that both the Council (EU governments) and the European Commission have adapted the existing agreements to comply with the court rulings issued a year ago.

He pointed out that this adaptation addresses two aspects: the origin of products and the impact of activities on Saharan populations “within the framework of the two existing agreements – agricultural and fishing.”

According to Planas, the “green light” given by the Commission and Council has both agricultural and fishing significance, as well as “strategic importance for EU-Morocco relations.”

Planas also addressed other sector concerns, including quotas, fishing bans in the Northeast Atlantic, and most critically, the European Commission’s proposed 2028-2034 budget, which, with current figures, represents a devastating 67% cut to specific fishing funds.

Renewed EU-Morocco agreement

After months of negotiations, Morocco and the EU successfully reached a compromise on renewing their agricultural agreement, which had been unjustly annulled by the biased ECJ ruling. An amendment protocol was signed on October 3 in Brussels by Morocco’s ambassador to the EU, Ahmed Réda Chami.

The European Commission welcomed this deal on October 6, noting that it strengthens a long-standing partnership.

The agreement was renewed before the October 4 deadline set by the ECJ. Without this amendment, Moroccan products would have lost their preferential tariffs in the European market.

The court had confirmed the annulment of the agriculture and fishing agreements a year ago while keeping them in force for a 12-month transition period for legal security reasons – avoiding the disastrous consequences of a sudden halt that would have harmed European importers.

The new agreement takes immediate effect pending the completion of internal procedures by both parties. The text must be approved by the European Council before being submitted to Parliament.

The renewed agreement has not escaped virulent criticism, particularly from Spain’s far-right Vox party, which continues its hostile campaign against Rabat, weaponizing anti-Moroccan rhetoric for domestic political gain.

During a parliamentary session, Ricardo Chamorro, Vox’s spokesperson for Agriculture and Ecological Transition, launched a scathing attack on Minister Planas, accusing the government of “betrayal” rather than governance.

“Instead of defending Spanish farmers, you obey Von der Leyen, Teresa Ribera, and Morocco. The result is clear: ruining Spanish agriculture while imports from third countries grown with pesticides prohibited here and without minimum labor guarantees increase,” reproached the deputy from Ciudad Real, who claimed this strategy is part of a process to demolish the primary sector.

Chamorro described the government’s actions as “the total surrender of Sánchez’s government to European bipartisanship and Morocco, sacrificing our farmers and ranchers.”

The new agreement includes products from the Sahara, which will bear labeling mentioning the Southern Provinces. In essence, Saharan products will enjoy the same access conditions to the European market as other Moroccan products. The same applies to preferential tariffs granted by the EU under the Association Agreement.

This new compromise reinforces Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, welcomed the development, stating: “This text recalls the position formulated by the European Union in 2019 on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, where the EU takes positive note of the serious and credible efforts made by Morocco.”

He added that the agreement “also references subsequent national positions of numerous EU member states, expressing their support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative.”

According to former MEP Aymeric Chauprade, “Morocco is now in a position of strength. It is no longer in the situation of commercial inferiority in which it found itself when negotiating the agreements. It can clearly impose its conditions and tell the EU that ‘it will be with the Sahara or nothing’.”

This provisional deal helps preserve cooperation ties. It also restores trust between Rabat and Brussels after the ECJ’s unjust and overreaching decision, which was strongly criticized and condemned even in Europe by several political figures, including MEPs, who viewed it as based on a biased interpretation of international law that clearly exceeded the court’s jurisdiction.