Morocco and EU conclude negotiations, finding a common ground for the fisheries agreement

Negotiations between Morocco and the European Union held to renew the 2014 fisheries agreement were concluded, Thursday 19th of July, allowing the two parties to find a common ground, a diplomatic source told Yabiladi Friday.

«A joint communiqué will be released today by the European Union and the Ministry in charge to confirm the decision, which includes Morocco’s southern provinces», explained the same source.

As negotiations have successfully ended, the agreement will follow a «series of procedures» in order to be finally adopted by the other EU bodies.

For the record, the fisheries agreement signed in 2014, has expired on the 14th of July this year, forcing EU shipowners to leave Morocco’s territorial waters. Negotiations to renew the treaty started in April, following a ruling issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The verdict pronounced on the 27th of February 2018 excluded the Western Sahara territorial waters from the agreement.

Including Western Sahara

According to the same source, the Moroccan party have managed to overcome the obstacles set by the CJEU’s ruling. «Earlier this week, the EU Foreign Minister adopted a decision that adapts the Morocco-EU Association agreement, which included the fisheries treaty, to the Sahara», argued the same source.

«The Association agreement covers all treaties signed between the EU and the Kingdom which paved the way for the fisheries agreement», added the same source.

On Monday, the European Union Foreign Affairs Council adopted, in Brussels, a decision aiming at adapting the Association Agreement and the agriculture agreement concluded with Morocco to include Western Sahara, a European source declared.

According to the same source, the measure goes hand in hand with the Court of Justice of the European Union’s decision issued in December 2016, regarding the Association and Liberalization Agreements concluded between the EU and Morocco. The latter will grant preferences to products from Western Sahara.

Responding to measure, the Polisario Front condemned the decision, indicating that it will lodge an appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union for «the harm caused to the Sahrawi people».