Fishing associations call upon EU to renew fisheries agreement with Morocco

EUROPEAN UNION
Monday, January 24, 2011, 22:30 (GMT + 9)

Various fishing entities in Spain and Morocco met last weekend in Tangiers with the aim of forcing the European Union (EU) to renew its fishing agreement with the African country, which expires next March.

According to the president of the Andalusian Federation of Fisheries Associations (Faape) and the vice president of the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (Cepesca), Pedro Maza, it was a "historic meeting with largely positive results."

During the meeting, participants created a Spanish-Moroccan committee, composed of six Spanish and six Moroccan members.

The members of the committee will hold regular meetings "to strengthen trade relations between the two countries and refer the administrations to the needs" of the fisheries sector, for both extracting and marketing, said the official, according to the agency Europa Press.

The result will be that Spain and Morocco will continue to work together to strengthen "cooperation" and "achieve the goal of renewing the fisheries agreement," said Maza.

Meanwhile, the EU executive "has to take the incentive" since Spain "is making efforts to push through the agreement on its part," he continued.

He added, "Morocco also wants the renewal of the fishing agreement to be carried out."

Representatives from Cepesca, the National Organization of Fisheries Associations (Onape), the Organization for Producers of Longline Fisheries (Orpal), the National Association of Shellfish Shipowners (Anamar) and the LDCF all participated in the meeting.

For its part, the European Commission (EC) believes that the Moroccan government has yet to present evidence that the current deal benefits the people of the Western Sahara, which is a precondition to negotiate a renewal of the agreement.

According to the president of the Federation of Marine Fishing and Aquaculture in Morocco (LDCF), Omar Akuri, "Spanish professionals said they asked their government to provide all the conditions for such a renewal."

He clarified that the associations are "professionals from the sector and are not political. The decision to renew the agreement is not in our hands."

The director of Anamar, Jose Suero, said that "We have very good relations with our Moroccan partners and we are working with them in a framework of consensus, because out of a fleet of 80 Spanish industrial fishing vessels opperating in Moroccan waters, over 60 have common Hispanic-Moroccan capital."

If in February this year, the EC and Morocco still fail to sign the renewal and the agreement expires, the EU fleet must leave Moroccan waters, reports the EFE news agency.

The EU pays Morocco EUR 36.1 million per year in exchange for EU vessels being allowed to fish in its waters.

This fisheries agreement is considered the most important fishing commitment of EU policy and provides permits for 119 European vessels.

Related articles:
- EC proposes new fishing agreement with Morocco to exclude Saharan waters
- Debate on fisheries agreement with Morocco to resume

By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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