Sweden rejects renewal of EU-Morocco Fisheries agreement

(SPS) -Sweden announced that it will vote against granting the European Commission of the negotiation mandate on the new protocol relating to the fisheries agreement between the European Union and Morocco, including the Sahrawi territorial waters, said the Sahrawi news agency SPS.

Sweden’s Rural Affairs Minister Sven Erik Bucht affirmed in a communiqué sent to the committee of permanent representatives of EU that “his country will reject any new agreement of partnership between EU and Morocco in the field of fisheries, as long as it will include the Sahrawi territorial waters,” announcing that Sweden will vote against the motion.

This refusal reflects Sweden’s position “which considers that the proposed mandate is not in accordance with the international law,” said the communiqué, adding that the government considers that the agreement doesn’t respect neither the interest, nor the willingness of the people of Western Sahara whose territory is under the Moroccan occupation since 1975.

The Swedish position regarding this issue remains consistent since its voting in 2012 against granting the European Commission a negotiation mandate on new agreement, said the communiqué.