The EU and Morocco are fighting a legal battle to maintain their fisheries deal after a European Court of Justice ruling invalidated the agreement.

On October 1, 2021, Morocco and the European Union will begin dismantling tariffs under an agreement on reciprocal liberalization measures relating to agricultural products, processed agricultural products, fish, and fishery products.

A circular issued yesterday by Customs and Excise (SDII) announced that tariff dismantling is reaching its tenth year on Friday, October 1.

"Service (Customs) is informed that there will be October 1, 2021, to the implementation of the agreement in the subject in its tenth year, corresponding to the last year of tariff dismantling," said the circular.

Three lists have been created as a result. For the first group of products, the import duty will be dismantled at a rate of 10% per year. A second category concerns products that benefit from tariff reductions or exemptions within quotas and which are also subject, outside quotas, to an annual dismantlement of 10% of the import duties, according to the statement. 

The third list is composed of products imported to Morocco under quota for the period from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, with the current tariff concessions.

On December 13, 2010, Moroccan and the EU signed an agreement concerning reciprocal liberalization measures relating to agricultural products, processed agricultural products, and fisheries products.

The agreement entailed the gradual liberalization of reciprocal trade in agricultural products, processed goods, fish, and fishery products. 

The news comes as Morocco and the EU face a legal battle to salvage their fisheries agreement following a September 29 ruling by the European Court of Justice to annul the deal. 

According to many observers, the top European court’s ruling will change little in practice because of the concerned parties’ determination to maintain their “vital” economic cooperation.

Given the strategic depth of the Morocco-EU cooperation, EU law expert Geneva Forwood told Moroccan state media, the court’s decision will have no real “legal impact on the agricultural and fisheries agreements between Morocco and the EU.”

Source: MoroccoWorldNews