The European Commission said this week it remains committed to a “long-standing, comprehensive and deep” partnership with Morocco and is prepared to open talks on a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement, though it gave no indication of when negotiations might begin saying it all depends on Rabat.
“There is no timeline for negotiating rounds or technical talks at this stage. We are ready to negotiate when Morocco is ready to do so,” a Commission spokesperson told Hespress news platform.
The spokesperson said the EU has completed a retrospective and forward-looking review of the previous fisheries protocol with Morocco, as required under the bloc’s Common Fisheries Policy.
The evaluation identified both successes and shortcomings of the earlier accord and will inform the EU’s approach to any future negotiations, the spokesperson said.
Any new deal will also have to address the declining state of several fish stocks targeted by the European fleet, according to the Commission, which said it intends to work with Moroccan counterparts to reach an agreement.
Asked about pressure from EU fishing associations – particularly in Spain, whose fleet has been hit hardest by the lapse of the agreement – the Commission said it has stayed in close contact with Madrid and the sector, citing past support through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and ongoing efforts to identify alternative fishing grounds.
Spain’s fishing federation, Cepesca, has repeatedly urged EU lawmakers to renew the protocol, which expired in July 2024. The group has warned that fleets with few alternatives – including longline vessels operating out of Barbate, Conil and Tarifa – face serious strain, and that fishing rights once covered under the deal supplied millions of meals across the EU daily.
The current standoff dates to a 2021 European Court of Justice ruling that annulled EU-Morocco fisheries and agriculture agreements over their inclusion of Sahara’s waters, a decision upheld on appeal in 2024. The underlying protocol, signed in 2019, expired in July 2023. At the time, Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, said Rabat would determine its next steps based on its own assessment, with Moroccan officials signaling any renewed deal would need to explicitly cover the Sahara and better reflect Morocco’s interests.
