Spain People’s Party has introduced an initiative in Congress urging the government to demand that European Union member states resolve the fishing dispute with Morocco to prevent economic viability from being jeopardized for companies in this sector, according to Spanish news outlet Europa Press.
“The Spanish fleet has fewer and fewer waters where they can fish,” warned the PP in its non-legislative proposal, as reported by the same source.
In this regard, the Popular Group emphasized that “without a new agreement with Morocco, the Spanish fleet will be forced to change fishing grounds or reduce its activity, which could threaten the economic viability of certain fishing companies.”
It additionally stated that “it seems that competition in other fishing grounds is intensifying, which may create additional pressure on fishing resources available in national and EU waters.”
For this reason, the PP asked, according to Europa Press, in the proposal—set to be debated in the Congress Agriculture Committee—that the Government demand EU members initiate, “as soon as possible, the opening of a new negotiation process to resolve the legal constraints identified by European courts.”
It also called for “support for private or collective negotiations to facilitate private fishing agreements between the Spanish fleet and the Moroccan government.”
The People’s Party additionally proposed “speeding up the license verification system through the network of Spanish embassies and EU delegations, ensuring that vessels operate with absolute legal certainty and avoiding potential problems or interference from unauthorized agents.”
For context, the European Commission stated last month in a written response that “the European Union has, over the years, established a deep friendship and strong, multifaceted cooperation with Morocco. It intends to elevate this cooperation to higher levels in the coming weeks and months.”
The Commission also noted that it has taken into account the European Court of Justice’s decision regarding the classification of products originating from Western Sahara and is currently analyzing the ruling in detail.
It further emphasized, “the European Union reaffirms the importance and high value it places on its strategic partnership with Morocco and expresses its firm commitment to maintaining and strengthening its close relations with Rabat across all areas of the Moroccan-European partnership.”
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