Rabat – Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation in Rabat, Eneko Landaburu regretted the position of the European Parliament not to renew the fisheries agreement between Morocco and EU.
The agreement, expected within the framework of the Association Agreement EU-Morocco, “was good for both parties,” said Landaburu in an interview published Monday by the French-speaking daily “Le Soir Echos,” adding that the European Parliament’s vote has negatively affected the Europeans, especially Spanish fishermen.
In terms of Morocco’s advanced status in its relations with the EU, the European diplomat described as “positive” the outcome of this status four years after its implementation, recalling the EU-Morocco senior-level summit in 2010 in Granada (Spain’s south).
He cited also the holding of several meetings in Brussels on issues of security and foreign policy and participation in the implementation of a Joint Group European Parliament/Moroccan Parliament.
“We have made great strides with regard to the presence of Morocco in the Council of Europe, which operates among other issues of human rights,” added Landaburu.
In the same context, he noted with satisfaction the progress made in the context of this agreement, in industry standards and phytosanitary regulations.
Regarding the financial cooperation, the ambassador said that the EU provides loans and grants to Morocco of about 200 million euro a year to support programs in order to modernize the country and some social policies.
