The future of cooperation between Morocco and the European Union (EU) in the fishing sector will be determined through comprehensive assessments conducted by the Moroccan government in consultation with European partners, Morocco’s Foreign Minister has said.
Speaking during a press conference following the third Ministerial Meeting of the Atlantic African States Process, Nasser Bourita clarified that while the Morocco-EU Fisheries Agreement remains in effect, the Fishing Protocol, which was established for a four-year period from 2019 to 2023, is set to expire on July 17.
The future of the agreement is in peril as there is currently no political census on its renewal. The suspension of the agreement would carry a toll on the EU’s fisheries sector, especially in Spain.
Spanish fleet currency holds 92 out of the 138 licenses that operate in the area, specifically those from Andalusia, Galicia, and the Canary Islands, Spanish media reports.
Many analysts and political observers have been also linking the recent tensions to French lobbyists pushing for hostile texts against Morocco within the European Parliament, which recently voted a series of resolutions accusing Morocco of spying on and harassing journalists and activists.
Other political analysts said France’s ambiguity in the Western Sahara dossier also triggered the recent tensions between Rabat and Paris.
While speaking to the press, the minister said that the cooperation between Morocco and the EU has been positive and mutually beneficial throughout these four years, adding that to evaluate the four-year period, Moroccan authorities will hold a meeting this week with their European counterparts in Brussels as part of a joint commission on fisheries.
Regarding the future of the Fisheries Agreement, Minister Bourita explained that the Moroccan government is engaged in ongoing discussions that have been considering three key parameters.
The first parameter is of a “doctrinal nature,” Bourita said, referring to the need to make sure that the deal aligns with Morocco’s foreign policy. Morocco aims to prioritize partnerships that provide a clearer added value, seeking more advanced collaborations where Moroccan interests are strongly represented, he explained.
Bourita’s remarks on foreign policy likely refer to the details of a ruling by the European Court of Justice regarding the inclusion of waters off the Western Sahara region in the Rabat-Brussels deal.
Rabat’s desire to know more about the ruling comes after the EU Court of Justice ruled in favor of the Polisario Front in 2021. The separatist armed militia, which claims independence for the Western Sahara region in southern Morocco, has long claimed that the EU’s agreement with Morocco had been concluded without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
The EU Court of Justice is expected to give its verdict in September, months after the agreement’s expiry date.
In addition to foreign policy, Bourita said that Morocco will take into consideration the deal’s impact on the country’s vision for the sector’s development. The third dimension that Morocco will look into prior to renewing the deal would be preserving its natural resources using a data-driven approach to evaluate the environmental impact of the deal.
Bourita underscored that Morocco will engage with the European Union to find common grounds before renewing the deal.
The outcome of the joint evaluation and discussions will shape the future direction of cooperation between Morocco and the EU not only in the fishing sector, but it could shape Morocco’s foreign policy with the block, he concluded.