The Spanish sector of agriculture, industry linked to Morocco and that of fishing in particular, are taking very badly the decision of the European Court of Justice on the subject of fishing agreements. Serious fears were shared about the future of these sectors which rely on the partnership with Morocco.
The Spanish association of fishing employers, Cepesca, commented on this decision saying that it will have important consequences and “represents a new blow for the fishing sector”.
Javier Garat, secretary general of the confederation, indicated that the decision of the European justice closed the door to fishing licenses for 138 community vessels, including 92 Spanish (47 Andalusian, 38 Canarian and 7 Galician).
According to him, the Cádiz region will be one of the most impacted, in particular ports like Barbate, Conil or Algeciras, which will have to limit themselves to developing activity only nationally.
And because of Brussels’ threat to reduce the anchovy fishing quota by 54% and in addition to the limitations for sardines, fishermen are expected to experience difficult times. They also believe that the decision is unfair, particularly because fishing for these small fish is not done in the waters of the Sahara, reserved for large fish.
All this makes you think “to stopped ships and the destruction of jobs and wealth”indicates the secretary general of the Spanish confederation in a press statement.
In an article titled “the cancellation of the agreement with Morocco leaves Andalusian fishermen on the edge of the abyss” the Spanish news site ABC advances the consequences of the European court’s decision on Spanish fishing stakeholders.
“The Moroccan fishing zone is vital for the survival of the Andalusian fleet”, warns the Spanish fishing sector, it is emphasized. For his part, Manuel Fernández, president of the Andalusian Federation of Fishermen’s Corporations (Facope), regretted the “new setback” suffered by the fishing sector, in a statement to the Europa Press news agency.
For his part, José María Gallart, president of the Andalusian Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, said that “Morocco is an important fishing zone for the survival of the Andalusian fleet,” warning that there will be direct discussions with the competent ministry “to see what path, what solutions we can seek for this fleet”.
“The judgment, without appeal, has plunged farmers, fishermen and even processing companies into uncertainty, because they do not know if it will have consequences for the Spanish and Galician investments located there (several canneries and fish distributors) and on commercial relations”, indicated the Spanish site lavozdegalicia.
The same source pointed out “that a good part of the raw material comes from this geographical area”, namely Morocco.
On the Moroccan side, the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (Comader), underlined, after the verdict, that the European Union and its member states are required “to fulfill their international commitments towards the Kingdom of Morocco, and to guarantee full legal security to economic operators of both parties”.
The Comader also supported the same position communicated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which requested “the Council, the European Commission and the Member States of the EU” to “adopt the necessary measures to respect their international commitments”, while meaning that he would not sign any agreement that did not respect his sovereignty.
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