According to the Spanish news agency EFE, European Commissioner for Fisheries Costas Kadis announced before the Spanish Parliament that a negotiation mandate had been submitted. This mandate must first be validated by the 27 EU Member States before official talks with Rabat can begin.
The European official welcomed this move as a “very important development” in relations between Brussels and Morocco, recalling that it comes after the October 2024 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which annulled the previous trade and fisheries agreements between the two partners.
The Commission’s proposal comes amid the interruption of the fisheries partnership since July 2023, when the last protocol expired. This protocol, one of the most symbolic diplomatic agreements between Morocco and the EU, allowed European vessels—mainly Spanish boats from Galicia, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands—to access Moroccan waters for fishing activities.
Responding to a question from MP Augustin Santos Maraver (Sumar), who expressed concern about the economic impact of the suspension and a possible rapprochement between Morocco and Russia in the fisheries sector, Commissioner Kadis assured that Brussels intends to maintain a constructive dialogue with Rabat, emphasizing the strategic importance of cooperation between the two partners.
According to EFE, the previous protocol authorized 138 European vessels, including 92 Spanish ones, to obtain fishing licenses. However, only about twenty of these licenses were actually used during the last implementation period (2019–2023), mainly due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This new initiative therefore represents the first step toward rebuilding a sustainable and mutually beneficial fisheries framework. Its success will now depend on the position of the EU Member States and the course of upcoming negotiations with Morocco, a key partner of the Union in economic, security, and geostrategic matters.
Editorial team/le7tv