The European Commission has struck a key fishing agreement with Morocco, allowing European Union fishermen to resume supplying the EU fish market with Moroccan fish, six years after the expiry of an old access deal.
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Since then, many smaller Spanish and Portuguese fishing vessels have been idle, but Maltese EU fishing Commissioner Joe Borg has secured a new smaller scale agreement.
Assuming it is agreed by EU ministers and MEPs, it would last four years from 1 March 2006, allowing 120 (mainly smaller coastal) vessels to take 60,000 tonnes of small pelagic species annually, such as sardines and anchovies.
