Morocco and EU to sign different fisheries agreement, says Spanish official

Morocco and the European Union will not sign the same fisheries agreement as the one expiring next November, president of the Spanish autonomous government of Andalusia, Manual Chaves, told MAP.

Morocco had publicly announced that it will not renew the four-year fisheries agreement after it expires, and it will seek new partnership formula.

Chaves also said Morocco should be more flexible regarding the fisheries issues and Spain should also be flexible regarding the agriculture sector and called the European Union to take into account both Morocco's interests and those of the Spanish fleet operating in Moroccan waters.

According to Spanish agricultural associations, Morocco is trying to link the fisheries and the agriculture sectors during the upcoming negotiations with Europe.

They said Morocco wanted the negotiations to proceed in parallel with next January's talks on the revision of the Morocco-EU association agreement.

Conceding that the negotiations on the fisheries agreements will be hard, Chaves called for concessions by the two sides and pointed out that relations with Morocco should be perceived in a global way encompassing all fields, in particular the creation of joint ventures with activities covering, in addition to fisheries and agriculture, other realms.