Morocco regrets European commissioner's charges of Morocco's inflexibility in fishery negotiations
Morocco-European Union, Economics, 4/7/2001

Morocco's maritime fishery minister, Said Chbaatou, on Friday regretted statements made by EU commissioner for fishery and agriculture, Franz Fishler, accusing Morocco of inflexibility in negotiations for a new fishery agreement.

"I strongly regret the European commissioner's statements that distort totally the way in which negotiations unfolded and the political will that was at the basis of negotiations" between Morocco and the EU, the minister said at a press conference.

The Moroccan minister was reacting to Fischler's statement that financial compensation was the main source of divergences between the two sides and that "Morocco's inflexible stand" which made it impossible to reach an agreement.

Fishler said the European Union must now look for other fishing areas, promote alternative employment opportunities mainly in fish farming, tourism and services and destroy the trawlers that cannot find any other use than fishing.

We have never set as a starting point the financial compensation, said the Moroccan official arguing Morocco wants the funds paid in exchange of fishing activities to be fair and proportional. The calculation basis should be revised as prices are no longer those of 1995.

He revealed the EU proposes 70 million Euros for the first year, 60 million and then 40 million for the following two years while Morocco requests an annual fixed amount of 90 million Euros for the three years of the agreement.

He also called for setting up a group of experts to conduct a scientific assessment of the fish effort proposed by Morocco, following which the two sides would agree on how to correct the reference basis of the proportionality rule, in conformity with principles underlying renovated partnership which is the framework of the negotiations.

To a question on direct negotiations with the Spanish southern region of Andalusia, he said Morocco has started negotiations with the EU, adding "we respect the EU, we are negotiating with the EU and if the EU has any internal problems, it is up to the Union to resolve them."

Fisheries accounts for 2.5% of Morocco's GDP, employs 400,000 persons and provides a living to 2.4 million persons. It yields 7.5 billion DH ($ 714.2 million) in added value with investments worth 7.5 billion DH ($ 733 million), including 2.5 billion of state investments. Morocco has crafted a plan to develop the sector and bring its added value to 13 billion DH ($ 1.23 billion) and create an annual 40,000 jobs.

15% of Moroccan enterprises are working on fisheries while the fleet comprises some 400 high sea fishing trawlers, 1,800 coastal fishing boats and 25,000 traditional units.

Meanwhile, Andalusian local authorities insist that direct negotiations with Morocco are not contradictory to the EU laws. The local fishery minister, Paulino Plata, told the parliament of his region the European Union laws do not forbid to its member countries to strike separate deals with other countries, citing the example of Italy which signed an agreement with Tunisia to allow traditional fishermen from Sicily to operate in Tunisian waters.

He also renewed the Andalusian government refusal of a central government's plan to restructure the fleet which used to fish in Moroccan waters. He accused the central government of deceiving the Andalusian 203 trawler-strong fleet and said the region would need 84.5 billion pesetas to reconvert its fleet in case negotiations with Morocco are stopped.

Morocco refuses to renew the previous Morocco-EU fisheries accord --that expired in November 1999-- under its previous formula out of concern to safeguard its depleting sea resources. Since September 2000, Morocco and the EU held several technical and political rounds of negotiations in a bid to strike a new fishery accord but the negotiations reached no result.

Morocco has repeatedly voiced its willingness to carry on the negotiations insisting however that the UE must understand Morocco's concerns over the situation of the fishery sector and the biological and economic goals it targets.

In Madrid, Spanish opposition parties at the lower house asked the government to try to reach an agreement with Morocco at "any cost" and demanded the resignation of the Spanish minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, Miguel Arias-Canete for "his failure" in the management of the fishery file.

The group of the Spanish socialist labor party (PSOE) at the house called the Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, to pay a visit to Morocco to improve bilateral relations and reactivate the negotiations on fisheries and save the crew of the 326 Spanish trawlers that were forced to cease their fishing activity since November 1999.

A Spanish trade union "CC-OO" also asked the Spanish central government and the autonomous communities to conduct moves so that the European Union resumes negotiations with Morocco.

Spanish minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, Miguel Arias-Canete told the parliamentary agriculture committee Thursday evening that the Spanish government was going to re-launch the activities of the fleet at berth through alternative activities. He assured that the alternative activities do not mean to send the trawlers to the breakers.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco-EU fishery negotiations: standpoints are still diverging, Fischler   (4/6/2001)
  Portugal accuses EU in failure of Morocco-EU negotiations on fisheries   (3/27/2001)
  Morocco-EU fisheries negotiations record no progress   (3/26/2001)

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