EU to debate future of fish-deal with Morocco tomorrow
The EU Member states will discuss the future of the EU-Moroccan fisheries partnership agreement (FPA) tomorrow. It is expected that the Commission will suggest a temporary extension of the current agreement.
At the request of Spanish Minister for Fisheries, Mrs. Rosa Aguilar, the ambassadors of the EU-states will consider a possible roll-over of the nearly expired FPA. Spain, the agreement’s biggest benefactor in terms of fishing licenses, advocates a minimum extension of one year.
Last week, EU Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, stated that she saw but 2 options: negotiating a new agreement that excludes Western Sahara or push for a transitional extension of the current pact. The latter is increasingly rumoured to be the most probable alternative.
Whichever line the Commission will propose, it would have to be approved by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.
For months on end, Commissioner Damanaki has stated that any follow-up agreement would be contingent upon data by Rabat, proving that the Saharan ‘population’ benefits the FPA. The Commission is currently in the process of analysing the information it has received from Morocco at the end of December.
While it is problematic that the Commission would trust Morocco to give a genuine and credible account of benefits accruing to the Saharawi people, merely focussing on the benefits is insufficient. According to international law, a Non-Self Governing Territory must be administered (a responsibility which legally does not fall upon Morocco) in accordance to the interests and wishes of the people. But to date, the EU has not consulted the Saharawi people on any trade agreement covering their homeland's resources.
The EU considers to pay Morocco to fish in occupied Western Sahara. An EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement from 2013 would be both politically controversial and in violation of international law.
The international Fish Elsewhere! campaign demands the EU to avoid such unethical operations, and go fishing somewhere else. No fishing in Western Sahara should take place until the conflict is solved.
