Increased EU fishing in Western Sahara under the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement

3.2.2017

Question for written answer E-000812-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Linnéa Engström (Verts/ALE) , Bodil Valero (Verts/ALE) , Max Andersson (Verts/ALE) , Klaus Buchner (Verts/ALE) , Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD) , Paloma López Bermejo (GUE/NGL) , João Ferreira (GUE/NGL) , Takis Hadjigeorgiou (GUE/NGL) , Rina Ronja Kari (GUE/NGL) , Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL) , Kostadinka Kuneva (GUE/NGL) , Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE/NGL) , Patrick Le Hyaric (GUE/NGL)

The European Court of Justice ruled in Case C-104/16 P — Council vs Front Polisario that Western Sahara is not part of the sovereign territory of Morocco and that, following the principles of self-determination and of relative effect of treaties, the EU-Morocco Association and Liberalisation Agreements could not apply to Western Sahara without the consent of the people of Western Sahara.

On 7 April 2016, the Commission adopted Decision (EU) 2016/547, modifying the 2013 EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA), in order to increase the fishing capacity of EU vessels belonging to categories 4 and 6 under that agreement.

However, according to the last available report of the EU-Morocco Joint Scientific Committee, these categories of EU vessels are fishing exclusively in Sahrawi waters.

Did the people of Western Sahara consent to this modification of the EU-Morocco FPA?

Does the Commission consider this amendment to the EU-Morocco FPA to be compatible with the principles of self-determination and of the relative effect of treaties or the obligations of the EU under international humanitarian law?

[Question supported by Members other than the author(s)[1]]

• [1] Question supported by Miguel Viegas (GUE/NGL), João Pimenta Lopes (GUE/NGL).