Spanish authorities fear the consequences of not renewing the fishing agreement between Brussels and Rabat, under which the kingdom authorizes more than 132 European vessels, most of them Spanish, to fish in its territorial waters.
In any case, this is the spirit of the fisheries agreements signed in 2019, which expire on July 17. The latter grants licenses to 132 vessels from 10 European countries, 93 Spanish, and the rest divided between Portugal, France, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom.
A landmark court ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has made their renewal somewhat impossible, although this is the first route being considered by the EU. .
It is noteworthy that the CJEU decided in September 2021 to suspend the validity of trade agreements concluded between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco covering fisheries and agricultural products, based on an appeal filed by the Polisario separatists. , a decision still under appeal, pending a final decision on the matter.
Also, fishing vessels are forced to leave Moroccan territorial waters during this period, hence the anger of the countries concerned and Spain in particular.
This is going to cause huge losses to Spanish ship owners and fishermen. Along these lines, Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, called the European Commission, Spanish media reported. Continue negotiations with Morocco to reach a new agreement on deep sea fishing before the current protocol expires.
In an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Fourth World Conference on Vine and Wine in Cadiz, the government official expressed regret.“It is possible that the current agreement will end without negotiating a new framework.”indicates that ” Competence in this respect rests with the European Commission, which has the power to sign agreements with third countries.”.
For his part, Carmine Crespo, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Andalusian Regional Government, called on the central government.“Put pressure on Brussels to renew fishing deal with Morocco before it expires”Warning aboutThe negative consequences of not renewing the agreement on the profitability and jobs of the fishing fleet in Andalusia and the future of the maritime fishing sector in this region“.
The officer told his country’s government’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, “Concern of local fishermen about the expiration of the contract and the possibility of its non-renewal”, while “about 500 people work on about 47 vessels in the ports of the southern Andalusian region.”.
It should be noted that the European Commission last week denied to Hesperus that “negotiations with Morocco regarding the aforementioned agreement are not ongoing”. Down next month.
