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Three weeks before the current fisheries agreement expires (July the 14th), the European Commission and Morocco are ready to start a new round of negotiations for the renewal of the treaty.
Negotiations will be launched on June the 25th in the European Union’s Capital, Brussels, an official told EFE. The announced date can be changed, adds the same source.
After the European Union AgriFish ministries council granted the European Commission a go-ahead to renew the 2014 fisheries agreement concluded with the Kingdom, both parties have discussed the step three times in Rabat.
The first round of negotiations was held from the 19th to the 25th of April, followed by a second one that started on May the 31st. The third round took place from the 7th to the 14th of June.
Obstacles to overcome
Talks in the Moroccan capital focused mainly on the political side. «There has been some progress», a source close to the file told Yabiladi. Holding more meetings on the topic with Moroccan officials is, moreover, another sign of progress noticed since the 19th of April.
Nevertheless, the two parties have not reached a settlement on the clause entitled «Fundamental Rights», introduced by the European Commission on March the 21st.
The latter indicates that «the negotiating directives proposed as an annex to the decision recommend to authorize the opening of negotiations including human rights and democratic principles clause which, if breached, can lead to the suspension of the Agreement and Protocol».
As for Spanish ship-owners, president of the Andalusian Federation of Fishing Associations, Pedro Maza, stressed that «an agreement similar to the previous one would meet the needs of the Spanish fishermen».
Last week, the Polisario announced that it is appealing against the Court of Justice of the European Union’s decision which allowed the current negotiations. The Front refuses the inclusion of the Western Sahara waters in the talks.
