Spanish fishing professionals are expecting the reappointment of Luis Planas as the Minister of Agriculture to pave the way for the renewal of the fisheries agreement with Morocco and other countries.
Planas, who retained his position, is seen as a familiar face with a deep understanding of the internal and external challenges facing the sector.
Renewal of fishing agreements with Morocco and other countries is on the agenda, and the Spanish Fisheries Union is poised to work alongside Minister Planas in navigating these negotiations.
Javier Garat, Secretary-General of Cepesca, said that the minister’s reappointment is reassuring, especially in the context of addressing challenges and problems collectively, both domestically and within the European Union.
Key challenges awaiting Planas include fortifying the fishing sector, sustaining the success of the Spanish fleet in securing fishing quotas, and engaging in negotiations for international fishing agreements.
The fishing industry in Spain is eager to collaborate with Minister Planas to safeguard the interests of the maritime fishing sector.
The fishing sector in Spain aspires to enhance the country’s influence in talks with the European Commission, given its prominent role in maritime fishing within the European Union.
The union had previously called on the Spanish government to address challenges such as the renewal of the fishing agreement with Morocco, urging both Rabat and Brussels to define the technical conditions guiding the renewal of the fishing protocol.
This request comes as the European Court of Justice deliberates on the fate of agreements between Morocco and Brussels, covering agricultural and fishery products.
The expiration of the protocol linked to the 2019 maritime fishing agreement allowed over 130 European vessels, predominantly Spanish, to fish in Moroccan waters.
The future of the EU’s fishing agreements with Morocco will be decided at the earliest in 2024, according to the Spanish Acting General Secretary of Fisheries.
Secretary Isabel Artime made the announcement earlier in November during the inaugural session of the Executive Committee of the EU’s Long-Distance Fisheries Advisory Council (LDAC).
Artime emphasized the significance of 2024 as a pivotal year due to the expiration and subsequent renewal of fishing protocols with several countries.
Regarding the protocol with Morocco, which expired in July this year, Artime said that the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food is eagerly awaiting the judgment of the European Court of Justice.
This ruling will determine whether negotiations to renew the agreement can proceed. The ruling relates to a 2021 decision by the EU’s General Court that annulled the fishing agreement due to its inclusion of the Western Sahara waters.
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