The European Commission has officially approved a proposal to reopen negotiations with Morocco for a new fisheries agreement.
This decision, widely welcomed in Madrid, is viewed by many observers as a significant political setback for the Polisario Front and its staunch ally, Algeria.
European Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis, announced the submission of the negotiating mandate before the Spanish Parliament on Tuesday. The mandate must now be ratified by the 27 member states of the European Union before formal talks can commence with Rabat, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
This resumption of negotiations is particularly notable given the context of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in 2024, which invalidated the previous EU-Morocco agricultural and fisheries agreements. The court’s decision was based on the fact that the agreements covered waters and products originating from Morocco’s southern provinces (Western Sahara).
Despite this legal challenge, both Brussels and Rabat have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to a “comprehensive and sustainable” strategic partnership, emphasizing its critical role in ensuring regional stability and food security across the Mediterranean. Morocco has maintained that the ECJ verdict did not undermine the legitimacy of its bilateral agreements.
Political signal and economic urgency
The move is considered a strong signal of normalization and confirms the resilience of the Morocco-EU partnership, one of the European neighborhood’s most enduring relationships, centered on cooperation in trade, security, energy, and sustainable development.
Politically, the initiative gains traction following the recent UN Security Council Resolution 2797 (October 31, 2025), which formally recognized the Moroccan autonomy plan as a serious and credible basis for resolving the Western Sahara dispute. This, coupled with the early October amendment to the agricultural agreement that guaranteed preferential market access for products from the southern provinces, further weakens the separatist claims of the Polisario Front.
Economically, the renewal of the fisheries protocol holds critical importance for the EU, particularly for Spain. Fleets operating out of regions like Galicia, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands have historically relied on access to Moroccan fishing waters. Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, has been a vocal advocate, describing the accord as a “major diplomatic protocol for Euro-Moroccan cooperation.”
The previous agreement, which expired in July 2023, allowed 128 European vessels to operate in the waters in exchange for approximately €52 million in annual compensation. Its suspension caused significant concern in Spanish and Portuguese ports dependent on this vital economic activity.
MK/ak/ac/Sf/fss/abj/APA