Spain Faces Crucial EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement Renewal as EU Presidency Begins

The EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, which ends on July 17, has allowed 138 European fishing vessels, including 93 Spanish ones, to obtain a license to fish off the Moroccan coast, recalls Atalayar.

If the agreement is not renewed, Spanish fishermen from Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Galicia will no longer be able to carry out their activities in Moroccan waters, which would significantly affect the Spanish fishing sector.

In 2021, the Court of Justice of the EU annulled the fisheries and association agreements between the EU and Morocco on the grounds that the Polisario, the author of the complaint, had not been associated with these agreements, even though the bulk of fishing activities are carried out in the waters of the Sahara.

Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas, aware of the economic and social implications of the non-renewal of the fisheries agreement for Spain, is trying to conclude agreements with the main countries concerned. But there is no indication that he will succeed before the expiration of the agreement on July 17.