Fish row clouds trade talks with Morocco

Date: 05/10/00

By Craig Winneker

EU GOVERNMENTS will next week try to jump-start a new era of economic co-operation with Morocco, but a long-running fisheries dispute threatens to overshadow talks on trade liberalisation.

Foreign ministers from the two sides will meet next Monday (9 October) to lay the groundwork for re-negotiating the association agreement between the Union and Morocco.

Officials say the year-long fishing-rights deadlock will not be on the agenda, but it will be on everyone's mind. "It is something that everybody is aware of," said one EU diplomat. "It is an issue in the background of all Community relations with Morocco at the moment. It will figure, but more as a sort of backdrop."

The issue has plagued the Union since last November, when a four-year-old agreement with Morocco on fishing rights expired. Efforts to forge a new deal have made little progress and member states whose fishing sectors have been hit hardest - especially Spain and Portugal - are pushing for a resolution.

In exchange for granting EU vessels the right to fish its waters, Morocco wants financial assistance for its fisheries sector, including money for creating jobs, upgrading ports, and modernising its fleet. Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler hopes to visit Rabat for further talks later month, but a date has not yet been set. "That depends on whether they are willing to kick-start the negotiations," explained a Commission official.

Agreement on the framework for talks on a new association accord is expected by December, with formal negotiations beginning early next year. But a range of obstacles will have to be overcome, with Spain - Morocco's closest Union neighbour and chief antagonist in the fisheries fight - voicing the most concerns. Spanish farmers compete with Moroccans in a number of areas, including fresh produce such as tomatoes.

But even Madrid is hopeful of an eventual deal. "It is the start of a new chapter of our relations with Morocco," said one Spanish diplomat, referring to next week's meeting. "Everything will go better at the technical level if at the political level there is a common sense of what we want."

The meeting will also focus on a number of political issues, including the Union's security and defence policy. Diplomats say EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will seek to allay Moroccan concerns about the Union's plans to create a rapid-reaction force to deal with crises on its own doorstep. "We need to reassure them about our intentions," said one.

But officials insist the fisheries problem will have to be solved before progress can be made in the political arena. "At some point we will reach the stage where we ask ourselves, 'Are we getting anywhere or are we messing around?'" said one. That point, he added, was "not that far off".

EU governments will try to jump-start a new era of economic co-operation with Morocco at a meeting on 9.10.00, but a long-running fisheries dispute threatens to overshadow talks on trade liberalisation.