EU plans destruction of 75% of Spanish fishing fleet for failure of new agreement with Morocco

The European Union is planning to propose to Spain the destruction of 75% of its fleet that used to operate in Moroccan waters up to November 1999 when the Morocco-EU fishery agreement expired.

According to sources close to the Spanish fishing sector, If Spain accepts a restructuring plan, engineered by Franz Fishler -the EU commissioner for agriculture and fishery- some 4,500 seamen will be unemployed and will have to look for other jobs as Spain will have to destroy over 300 trawlers. Only 90 boats will be spared.

In exchange, the Union will extend Spain 32 billion pesetas to support its fishery restructuring plan.

The Spanish media stressed the measure will affect some Spanish localities that used to live exclusively in fishing activities in Morocco, mainly in Andalusia (southern Spain) and Galicia (northwest).