Canary Islands regional government for resumption of fishery talks
Morocco-Canary Islands, Economics, 8/8/2001

The regional government of the Canary Islands last week called the Spanish central government to pressure the European Union re-launch the negotiation process with Morocco in order to renew the Morocco-EU fishery accord that expired on November 30, 1999.

The minister of fisheries of the regional government, Manuel Fajardo, expressed hope the Canary Islands traditional fishing fleet resumes activity in Moroccan waters.

The fishery agreement concluded last week with Mauritania cannot settle problems of the Spanish fishing fleet, whose activity is paralyzed since the accord with Morocco expired, Fajardo argued.

Morocco refused to renew the Morocco-EU fisheries accord 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 its biological and economic goals.

Several Spanish political circles, including opposition parties, trade unions, and local governments have called for the resumption of negotiations for a new accord guaranteeing fishing activity to the Spanish fleet.

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