The European Council on Monday adopted a decision on the conclusion of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco, the related implementation protocol and the exchange of letters accompanying the agreement, thereby paving the way for its future implementation. This adoption follows the consent given by the European Parliament on 12 February 2019 and formally marks the last step on the EU side, the EU Council said in a press release. The new fisheries agreement covers the fishing zone from Cap Spartel to Cap Blanc, south of the city of Dakhla. The 4-year protocol implementing the agreement allocates fishing opportunities for the EU in exchange for an overall financial contribution of € 208 million euros, the EU Council said, noting that a substantial part of this contribution will be used to promote the sustainable development of the fisheries economy in Morocco. The objective of the Fisheries Agreement is to enable the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco to work together more closely on promoting a sustainable fisheries policy and sound exploitation of fishery resources in the fishing zone defined in the Fisheries Agreement and supporting the Kingdom of Morocco's efforts to develop the fisheries sector and a blue economy, the Council said. The European Commission assessed the potential impact of the Fisheries Agreement on sustainable development, in particular as regards the benefits for the people concerned and the exploitation of the natural resources of the territories concerned, the source said, adding that in line with that evaluation, it is assessed that the Fisheries Agreement should be highly beneficial to the people concerned owing to the positive socio-economic impact on those people, particularly in terms of employment and investment, and to its impact on the development of the fisheries sector and fish processing sector. Extensive consultations were carried out and «the socio-economic and political actors who participated in the consultations were clearly in favour of concluding the Fisheries Agreement», it said.
