The European Commission announced on Tuesday its approval of a proposal to launch new negotiations with Morocco on a fisheries agreement, according to European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis. The announcement came during his presentation before the joint parliamentary committees of Spain’s Congress and Senate in charge of European Union affairs.
Kadis explained that the proposal will be submitted to the governments of the 27 EU member states to initiate formal talks with Rabat, describing the move as “a highly significant development in EU–Morocco relations,” particularly following the ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) nearly a year ago that annulled the trade and fisheries agreements for not aligning with the legal status of the Sahara.
The European Commissioner noted that he had discussed the details of the negotiation mandate with Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, in a meeting held prior to the parliamentary session. He added that the measure came in response to questions raised by lawmakers concerning the agreement and its implications, including Morocco’s recent maritime engagements with Russia.
The EU–Morocco fisheries agreement is one of the key protocols that has allowed European fleets — particularly Spanish vessels from Andalusia, Galicia, and the Canary Islands — to fish in Moroccan waters. However, its application has remained suspended since 2023, following the expiration of the last protocol in July of that year, which had granted fishing licenses to 138 European vessels, including 92 Spanish ones.
It is worth noting that in early October, Morocco and the European Union signed, at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, an exchange of amended letters on the agricultural agreement between the two parties — an act reflecting the strength of their multidimensional partnership. The agreement was signed on behalf of Morocco by the Kingdom’s Ambassador to the EU, Ahmed Reda Chami, and is set to enter into force pending internal ratifications on both sides.
The updated agricultural agreement ensures that agricultural products originating from Morocco’s southern provinces benefit from the same preferential access conditions to the European market as those from other regions of the Kingdom. It also introduces technical adjustments aimed at improving market access and labeling transparency, with clear indications of production origins in the regions of Laâyoune–Sakia El Hamra and Dakhla–Oued Eddahab.
