Morocco and EU meet over fishery
Morocco-European Union, Politics, 10/16/2000

European commissioner for agriculture and fishery, Franz Fishler, and Moroccan premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, started this Monday talks over a fisheries agreement Europeans want to renew.

Morocco insists the fisheries agreement cannot be renewed in its old form, and requests, instead, a new partnership formula, involving cooperation in developing the fishery sector.

The date of this new round of talks was announced by foreign minister, Mohamed Benaissa, at the end of the first session of the Moroccan-EU association council Oct 9 in Luxembourg. Benaissa expressed hope to see the high-level meeting "reach a solution within a partnership framework which takes into account Morocco's vital interests, both at the levels of fish resources and socio-economic conditions, and EU's interests in the field."

A previous session in Brussels September 28-29 helped the Moroccan side expound the kingdom's strategy for the promotion of its own fish stocks.

The Moroccan plan for its promising fisheries is meant to preserve stocks and bio-diversity in its exclusive economic zone, upgrade standards of sea-related jobs and modernize all activities from fishing, to gear-manufacture, processing and valorization of catches.

In Brussels, the European side explained how it would back and accompany Moroccan authorities in carrying out their fishery promotion plan included in the 2000-2004 development plan.

In November 1999, in view of depleting resources, Morocco refused to renew the fisheries agreement under which some 600 European boats, mostly Spanish, used to fish in Moroccan waters.

According to press reports, the two sides are close to an agreement.

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