On Monday, May 22nd,2006, the European Ministers of Fisheries approved the EU-Morocco fishing agreement in its new version. Different in content and scope from the previous ones, the new agreement limits the number of authorized fishing boats and puts some restraints on the dimension of the fleet, mainly artisanal.

Thus, 119 European fishing trawlers, mostly Spanish and Portuguese, will have access to Moroccan waters for a financial compensation amounted to 163 million Euros.
The sum will be used to upgrade Moroccan coastal fishing fleet and to improve existing seafood marketing network as well as to support professional associations operating in fisheries sector. In addition, according to the agreement, northern European countries’ industrial pelagic vessels will benefit from a quota of 60.000 tons of small pelagics. The European Commission has stated that after Moroccan Parliament’s ratification, the agreement will enter into force on June 1st, 2006, and will take into consideration the status of fish stocks and will help promote the development of Moroccan fisheries sector, the financing of Moroccan restructuring programme, and finally support scientific research in the field.