Rabat, April 24 (NNN-MAP) European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg says the fisheries agreement between Morocco and the European Union (EU), which entered into force on April 1, will open up new vistas for bilateral co-operation in this sector, especially in scientific research.

"We hope this agreement will send a signal of a wider co-operation between the two parties, especially in terms of scientific research," Borg told the press after meeting Moroccan Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Mohand Laenser here.

Recalling that the newly enforced agreement, that was signed six years after the expiry in 1999 of its predecessor, provides for the protection of threatened fish species, Borg stressed the need for a proactive Moroccan and EU position at the international level to fight illegal practices that mar the sector.

The four-year agreement provides for a financial compensation for Morocco amounting to 210 million USD, along with a 4.5 million USD additional annual sum.

It allows 119 European boats, 100 of which are Spanish, to fish in Moroccan waters. The deal which sets an annual quota of 60,000 tons for industrial pelagic fishing, which will benefit mainly northern European countries, excludes the Mediterranean coasts and species considered as fragile.

Laenser spoke of the normalization of Morocco-EU relations, which this agreement is part of and added that the agreement, which he described as a "real partnership," showed the desire to co-operate in various fields, including the development of the fishing areas.

This “new generation� agreement enables the two sides to bring closer their positions in terms of development problems, said Laenser.

Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou had earlier received the EU Commissioner and stressed that Morocco pinned a lot of hope on the future of partnership with the EU in the field of fisheries.

He added that the agreement would preserve fish resources, promote them and lay the foundations for partnerships in the field of sea products processing, aquaculture and scientific research.

He also recalled that Morocco is a first-rank partner of the EU in the region, within the framework of the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy and that Morocco will endeavor to align its economy with that of Europe, especially through achieving port infrastructures with European standards.