WRITTEN QUESTION E-0104/01

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(1 February 2001)

Subject: Why is Commission President Romano Prodi travelling to Morocco to sign a cooperation agreement, when Morocco is refusing to sign a mutually beneficial fisheries agreement on reasonable terms?

At the very time the European Union is experiencing difficulties in getting the Kingdom of Morocco to take the negotiation of a new fisheries agreement seriously, with practically no prospect of a last-minute breakthrough, the Commission President is travelling to Morocco next weekend to negotiate a cooperation agreement.

The media, quoting Community sources, assure us that Mr Prodi, despite the difficulties surrounding the fisheries negotiations, is determined to sign the cooperation agreement, from which he merely intends to remove the proposals concerning cooperation on fisheries.

This is not the attitude which the European Community took in 1995; the general association agreement between the EU and Morocco was signed on 15 November of that year only after Morocco agreed to sign the 1995-1999 fisheries agreement. This followed close on the heels of the opening of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean conference, inspired by the principle of cooperation between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean.

If Romano Prodi signs the cooperation agreement with Morocco, the mistaken and negative policy of separating fishery negotiations from all the other sectors which come under economic, social and cultural cooperation, a policy whose implementation over the last year was responsible for the failure of attempts to renew the fisheries agreement which expired in 1999.

Why is the President of the Commission once again separating the conclusion of fishery agreements from the other cooperation agreements which the European Union has with Morocco?

Does the Commission not believe that it would be more positive and logical to do everything in its power to achieve a cooperation agreement which includes a fisheries agreement which fully reflects the interests and concerns of Spain's Galician, Andalusian and Canaries fleets, and the Portuguese fleet?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(6 March 2001)

The Association Agreement with Morocco was signed in February 1996 and entered into force on 1 March 2000. Its eventual aim is to establish a free trade zone between the Community and Morocco, and it provides for Community economic cooperation under the MEDA programme to help Morocco improve its economy.

The President signed three financing agreements under the economic cooperation arrangements during his visit to Rabat in January: an adjustment programme for the financial sector worth 52 million, a 50 million adjustment programme for the healthcare system and a 7 million project to support social housing in Tangiers.

The Commission feels that it is necessary to consider EU-Moroccan relations overall, fisheries being only a single, albeit important, sector. It is clear that under the partnership all areas of interest to both Morocco and the Community covered by must be examined.

The Commission will continue its efforts to achieve positive results in negotiating the fisheries agreement.