EU-Morocco fisheries protocol expires; Spanish trawlers the main losers

As of this Monday, 17 July, European trawlers will no longer be able to fish off the Moroccan coast since the fisheries protocol is over, and renewing the protocol will be complicated since Morocco is seeking to secure a more advantageous deal. EU trawlers catch sardines, tuna and anchovies off the Moroccan coast, and in return, the bloc paid Morocco a total of €208 million over the past four years. “At the moment, there are no negotiations between the EU and Morocco over fishing rights,” a European Commission spokesperson said. He added that the EU and its Moroccan partners were evaluating the past four years with regard to a possible renewal of the fisheries protocol. This, however, would depend on “the circumstances, constraints and economic and business factors.” These “circumstances” presumably refer to a 2021 ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which declared the EU-Morocco fishing protocol null and void off the coast of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, ...