Morocco ratified a Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) on 6 March with the EU. The former fisheries agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco expired in 1999.
The agreement which will enter into force immediately will run for a period of 4 years. The FPA provides fishing opportunities on pelagic species and small pelagic and demersal species, for vessels ranging in scale from artisanal to industrial. The annual EU financial contribution will be € 36 100 000, of which over a third (€ 13 500 000) is earmarked for support to the Moroccan national fisheries policy, which partly will go to modernisation of the coastal fishing fleet. In addition to the financial contribution from the EU, a payment of approximately € 3 400 000 is expected from European ship owners in the form of licence fees. A joint committee will be established, notably to agree a multi-annual sectoral programme for fisheries and to monitor its implementation. A meeting of the Joint Committee will be held on Thursday 8 March, in Rabat.