Almost two months after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that
Morocco could continue its
fisheries partnership and trade dealings with EU–as long as the business did not include the Western Sahara.
According to Aujourd’hui, April 13 and 16 are two “important dates” that will have a significant bearing on Morocco’s relationship with the EU, as they will mark intensive discussions between Moroccan diplomats and their EU counterparts.
During the first phase of negotiations on April 13, Moroccan officials will meet with the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper 1) to discuss and clarify different positions sparked by the ruling. The first phase will also set the ground for the important policy decisions that will later be adopted or amended by the EU’s Council of Ministers, with the goal of discussing potential modifications to the ECJ’s decision.
The second phase will occur in parallel to the meeting of EU’s Council of Ministers, beginning April 16. Within the parameters of the council’s mandate, ministers will “discuss, amend, adopt, and coordinate” agriculture and fisheries-related policies, as well as international agreements binding EU members and third-party states.
More specifically, regarding Morocco-EU Fisheries Agreement, the council will discuss whether the European Commission should be given the green light to negotiate with Moroccan officials the new terms of the Fisheries Agreement.
Although none of the decisions derived from these phases will be binding, they will provide legal and legitimate grounds for contesting and modifying prior rulings.
As the Council of Ministers is made up of ministers from EU states, the direction of each state’s domestic and international policy already imposes a substantial impact on the council’s decisions. According to Aujourd’hui, this phase will particularly be determining for Morocco’s diplomacy, as it will involve convincing “neutral or abstaining” EU member states of the “legitimacy” of Morocco’s position regarding the Fisheries Agreement.
It is expected that Morocco will benefit from the opening of new negotiations, as the Commission has notably had already lent its support to Morocco’s position prior to ECJ’s February ruling. Moroccan officials are still confident about the prospects of the country’s position although conscious of the complexity of the situation.
