The European Commission has authorised negotiations with Morocco for a new fisheries partnership, weeks after the European Union and Rabat signed an updated agricultural trade accord that restored preferential access for farm products from all Moroccan regions.
Commissioner for Fisheries Costas Kadis announced the decision in Madrid, calling it “an important step toward re-establishing structured cooperation” following the expiry of the previous deal in July 2023.
The earlier accord had allowed 128 European vessels, mostly from Spain, Portugal and France, to fish in Moroccan waters in return for about €52 million a year in financial contributions and sectoral support.
The fisheries talks follow the formal signing in early October of a revised EU-Morocco agricultural agreement, which confirmed the inclusion of products from Morocco’s southern provinces under existing trade preferences.
That deal ended nearly two years of procedural uncertainty after legal disputes before the European Court of Justice and marked a wider reset in EU-Morocco relations.
Diplomats in Brussels said the renewed fisheries mandate reflects Europe’s intent to stabilise ties with a key North African partner on trade, migration and maritime security.
Spain, the largest beneficiary of the previous arrangement, has urged a swift conclusion to preserve thousands of jobs in Andalusia and the Canary Islands.
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