He sees "very complex" advancing in negotiations with Morocco before the CJEU ruling

BRUSSELS, March 20. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, stated this Monday in Brussels that he expects a favorable ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) on the fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco, although the conclusion of the protocol may be delayed , which could lead to a possible suspension of the fleet's activity for a few months.

The ministers of the branch of the Member States of the EU will address the expiration of the agreement at the request of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish delegations, since the protocol of the fisheries association agreement between the EU and Morocco expires on July 17 and could remain suspended, pending a ruling for including Western Sahara, a territory pending decolonization.

"We have always defended, from the Commission and the Council, the legality of the agreement and we hope that the ruling is favourable, although it may delay the conclusion of the protocol," said the minister, who explained that 93 of the 138 licenses that fish in the zone correspond to Spain, particularly to the Andalusian, Galician and Canary Islands fleets.

Likewise, the minister explained that the Moroccan party wants to have "certainty" in relation to the content of the sentence, which is why he predicted "it will be very complex to advance in the negotiations without the issue being resolved."

However, Planas has recalled that this situation has already been experienced in the past and that it means that the fleet has to stop its activity, a scenario for which it has advanced that it will seek support mechanisms for fishermen. "It is a European agreement, so I will try to activate European measures and then, there will always be Spain", he has settled.