EP approves EU-Morocco fisheries agreement

Fishing vessels from 11 EU countries will be allowed to fish in the waters of the Morocco in return for an annual EU payment of 30 million euro (USD 41 mn) under a fisheries agreement approved by the European Parliament Tuesday. This sum includes 14 million euro earmarked to support the development of the Moroccan fisheries sector, said an EP statement. Morocco will have to prove that this money is invested in a way that benefits the Sahrawi population. On the other side, the fishing possibilities for 11 EU member states will allow 1,500 fishermen, 500 of whom are Moroccan, to go ahead and fish, said rapporteur Carmen Fraga Est{vez, an MEP from Spain. In addition to the 30 million euro provided annually through the EU, an estimated 10 million euro (USD 13.7 mn) will be paid to the Moroccan state in fees by ship-owners intending to fish under the agreement. The 11 EU member states with an interest in this agreement are Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland and the United Kingdom. The new agreement will apply for four years from its entry into force.