Morocco seeks to renew EU fisheries agreement with the help of the Spanish government
During the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Conference, which took place from 1 to 3 July, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, met with his Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Sadiki, for a bilateral meeting to discuss the possible renewal of the European Union (EU) fisheries agreement with Morocco.
During this FAO Conference, the Moroccan representative also held a series of round tables with high-level executives, presenting his vision on food security and water resource management. According to Al-Arab, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Cooperation, Nasser Bourita, declared that "food security, in addition to being a structured national project, is a fundamental commitment of Morocco at the international and regional level".
This agreement, which expires on 17 July, will mean the withdrawal of 120 European vessels from the Moroccan coast and the end of their fishing activities in the area. Morocco granted 138 fishing licences in this agreement, and the Spanish government holds 93 of these licences, which correspond to activities in Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Galicia. The latest fisheries agreement, signed in 2019, is the last in a series of bilateral agreements and protocols dating back more than 30 years.
The possible non-renewal of the fisheries agreement comes in the wake of Europe's rejection of the fishing activities taking place off the coast of Western Sahara. The EU Court of Justice annulled in 2021 the fisheries and association agreements in favour of the interests of the Polisario Front regarding sovereignty over the waters off Western Sahara, given that these fisheries agreements were "approved without the consent of the Saharawi people" according to the EU.
According to the EFE news agency, the Spanish minister, during the FAO conference, declared that, "this is an issue in which Spain is very interested, because geographically it is the closest country of the European Union to the African continent, where phenomena such as migratory movements are taking place, which are a consequence of all the problems in terms of food and climate change". In the event that the agreement is not renewed, the Spanish government will begin to support the fishermen affected by this situation as of 18 July. Since the EU has exclusive competence in the area of fisheries, the possibility of a bilateral agreement between Morocco and Spain would not be possible.
The Spanish Minister of Agriculture has held a meeting with European representatives in Brussels in order to reach possible solutions for those countries affected by the non-renewal of the fisheries agreement. With two weeks to go before the end of the agreement, it is not expected that an agreement can be reached before it expires.
Spain is thus seeking to unblock the situation and reach an agreement between Morocco and the EU on an issue as important as fishing. Demonstrating that the Spanish-Moroccan diplomatic relationship is at a great moment after the Spanish government of Pedro Sánchez officially supported Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as the "most serious, credible and realistic" way to resolve the Saharawi conflict, which has been dragging on for more than four decades. All of this while respecting the postulates of the United Nations.