I would like to remind the honourable Member that the negotiations on the new EC-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement are concluded and that the Commission and the Moroccan Government initialled the draft agreement in July 2005. With respect to its territorial application, the text of the new agreement is no different from the previous agreement, which ended in 2000.
With regard to the honourable Member’s specific question, I would like to point out that the Polisario Front is not formally accredited with the European Community. There is no formal policy dialogue between the Commission and the Polisario Front. Concerning fisheries negotiations, the Commission has been authorised by the Council to negotiate with the Kingdom of Morocco. It has no mandate to extend the negotiations to third parties.
In the framework of the preparations for the negotiation of the EC-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement, the Commission thoroughly evaluated the political, legal and economic implications of an eventual agreement. In this case, as in others, the Commission is taking care to avoid a situation where the conclusion of new agreements in the field of fisheries could become a factor in international disputes or conflicts.
Regarding the issue of the EC-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement and the question of Western Sahara, the Commission took special care to fully respect the relevant principles of international law and support the efforts of the United Nations in finding an appropriate solution with regard to Western Sahara. The content of the initial text, as in the case of the previous fisheries agreement, does not in any way prejudice the issue related to the international status of Western Sahara.
The Commission is convinced that the new EC-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement is in conformity with international law and with the opinion of the UN Legal Advisor of 29 January 2002. The Commission’s view with regard to the geographical scope of the agreement has been confirmed and endorsed by the opinion of the Council’s legal service and the European Parliament’s legal service.