Morocco, EU resume technical negotiations on fisheries

Technical negotiations between Morocco and the European Union on fisheries resumed Thursday afternoon in Rabat after a two-week pause.

Talks are conducted on the Moroccan side by the secretary general of the ministry of maritime fisheries, Ghanmi Tijani, and on the EU side by fishery director at the European Commission.

Moroccan-European fishery negotiations started last October but failed to reach agreement on the renewal of a fishery accord.

Negotiations are stumbling over several issues, mainly the duration of the accord-- Morocco wants it not to exceed 2 years while the EU seeks to strike a deal for 4 to 5 years--, the number of European trawlers to be allowed to operate in Moroccan grounds, the amount of the financial compensation to be granted to Morocco and other technical aspects.

Since the latest fisheries accord between Morocco and the European Union expired on November 30, 1999, more than 500 European trawlers, mostly Spanish, are forced to berth.