Casablanca – Over the past four decades, Morocco has occupied a pivotal position in the European Union’s fisheries policy toward non-EU coastal states. Scientific research and institutional data consistently show that the Kingdom has been the largest single beneficiary of European financial support linked to fisheries access agreements since the late 1970s. However, recent legal developments at the European level, combined with structural changes in fishing practices and growing sustainability concerns, are prompting renewed scrutiny of this long-standing partnership.
According to recent scientific studies covering the period from 1979 to 2024, Morocco alone captured roughly one-third of all European public funding allocated to fisheries agreements with Southern coastal countries. In financial terms, this represents approximately $1.56 billion out of a total $4.8 billion disbursed by the EU over 45 years. When combined with Mauritania, the two countries accounted for more than 70% of total EU fisheries-related subsidies during this period, underscoring the strategic importance of Northwest African waters to European fleets.
The EU–Morocco fisheries relationship took shape in its modern form in the late 1980s, with the first effective agreement entering into force in 1988. From the outset, the agreement played a central role in enabling European vessels to expand their activities beyond increasingly regulated European waters. In exchange for financial compensation, Morocco granted access to its fishing zones, allowing European fleets to target a wide range of species using industrial-scale equipment.
This cooperation reached its peak in the mid-1990s. During the 1995–1996 period, annual EU compensation rose to $127 million, the highest level ever recorded under a fisheries agreement with a single coastal state. At the time, more than 500 European vessels were licensed to target demersal species such as shrimp, mollusks, and other bottom-dwelling fish, with an authorized capacity of around 57,000 tons. In parallel, dozens of vessels were granted access to small pelagic fisheries, with annual quotas set at 60,000 tons.
Over the past two decades, however, the structure of the agreement has changed markedly. The number of European vessels authorized to operate in Moroccan waters has fallen sharply, particularly for demersal fisheries. By 2023, only 61 vessels remained licensed to target bottom-dwelling species, with total authorized capacity dropping to roughly 3,000 tons. This represents a decline of nearly eighteenfold compared with the agreement’s peak period.
At the same time, access rights have increasingly shifted toward small pelagic species, including sardines, mackerel, horse mackerel, and anchovies. These species now dominate the agreement in both volume and financial weight. In 2023, quotas for small pelagic fish reached approximately 185,000 tons, split between small-scale vessels and large industrial fleets, while annual EU financial compensation stood at $42.4 million.
Scientific analysis highlights that Morocco records the highest “support intensity” among all EU partner countries, measured as financial compensation per unit of authorized fishing capacity. A significant share of this support—more than 80%—has been linked directly to the exploitation of small pelagic species. Despite accounting for a relatively small share of European fleet capacity and vessel numbers, these fisheries absorb a disproportionately large share of EU subsidies across all agreements.
This evolution reflects a broader transformation in European fisheries policy. As access to demersal resources has become more restricted due to stock depletion and sustainability concerns, EU fleets have increasingly focused on small pelagic species, which are abundant but ecologically sensitive. Often described as “forage fish,” these species occupy a foundational position in marine food chains, meaning that overexploitation can have cascading effects on entire ecosystems.
The legal context surrounding the EU–Morocco fisheries agreement has also become more complex. In October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that applying EU–Morocco trade and fisheries agreements to waters adjacent to Morocco’s southern territories violated the principle of self-determination under EU law. The ruling, issued in response to a case brought against the European Commission, has introduced new uncertainty regarding the legal framework governing current and future cooperation.
Observers note that while the ruling does not automatically terminate fisheries cooperation, it places the agreement under heightened legal and political scrutiny. Any future arrangement may require revised mechanisms to ensure compliance with EU legal standards, particularly concerning the geographic scope of application and the distribution of economic benefits.
Beyond legal considerations, the findings of recent studies have reignited debate over the long-term sustainability of Morocco’s marine resources. The growing emphasis on high-volume pelagic fishing, combined with climate-related pressures on ocean ecosystems, raises questions about the balance between short-term financial returns and long-term resource preservation.
As the EU reassesses its external fisheries policy and Morocco continues to modernize its maritime governance, the future of their fisheries partnership is likely to depend on how effectively economic interests, environmental sustainability, and legal constraints can be reconciled. What is clear, according to researchers, is that Morocco’s experience encapsulates the broader challenges facing international fisheries agreements in an era of ecological limits and evolving legal norms.
