Morocco’s Oil Exploration Plans Near Canary Islands Spark Concern

Morocco plans to drill two wells in Tarfaya to extract oil. The project worries the authorities of the Canary Islands. The deputy of Nueva Canarias (NC) in the Congress, Pedro Quevedo, has demanded that President Pedro Sanchez immediately start negotiations with Morocco for the clear delimitation of the Canarian and Moroccan waters, according to The Objective.

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The parliamentarian recalled that his party had already denounced in 2017 the authorizations granted by Morocco to carry out these explorations, stressing that such an activity would affect the maritime environment, the tourism sector and sustainable development based on renewable energies. "After the approval of two laws by the Moroccan parliament in January 2020 to unilaterally delimit its territorial waters, Morocco is back with another unilateral measure," denounced Pedro Quevedo.

It is "imperative" that the border between Moroccan waters and the Canary Islands be fixed, insisted the deputy who warned that this new Moroccan decision will be "challenged by the Canary Islands, as it directly affects the territory and the present and future interests of the islands".