WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2219/97 by Jesús CABEZÓN ALONSO to the Commission. Cooperation between the European Union and Morocco
17. 3. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 82/45 Any aid granted by the state or through public resources which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production for certain goods in so far as it affects trade between Member States constitutes state aid within the meaning of Article 92. 1 of the EC Treaty. If all of these criteria are met, the Commission is required to establish, following the procedure pursuant to Article 93 of the EC Treaty, whether the aid is compatible with the EC Treaty. On the basis of the information provided, which is of a general nature without specifying in concrete terms the nature or amount of the possible aid, the Commission does not see scope for further action at this stage. However, if additional information on possible aid elements involved were made available, the Commission would be in a better position to examine the matter in the light of the state aid provisions in the EC Treaty. (98/C 82/84) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2217/97 by Jesu·s Cabezo·n Alonso (PSE) to the Commission (30 June 1997) Subject: EU-Morocco fisheries agreement Representatives of the Moroccan Government have announced that they are not intending to renew the current fisheries agreement with the European Union, as a consequence of which only the Moroccan fleet will be allowed to continue fishing in the waters concerned. Does the Commission know whether or not the exclusion of the EU fleet will be extended to other fleets such as the Russian and Japanese ones? (98/C 82/85) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2219/97 by Jesu·s Cabezo·n Alonso (PSE) to the Commission (30 June 1997) Subject: Cooperation between the European Union and Morocco Does the Commission believe that the announcement by the Moroccan Government to the effect that it will not be renewing the current EU-Morocco fisheries agreement when it expires at the end of 1999 is linked to an attempt to secure advantages in the agricultural sector during the renegotiation of the cooperation agreement, which also expires in 1999? Joint answer to Written Questions E-2217/97 and E-2219/97 given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (18 September 1997) The fisheries agreement with Morocco has been concluded on a four-year basis as from 1 December 1995, so that it has been in effect for only about one and a half years. The Commission considers it premature to draw any conclusions yet about fishing relations with Morocco from 1 December 1999. Before then, it will be necessary to assess whether the goals to which the two sides committed themselves under the current agreements have been attained and to make an evaluation of progress in their cooperation over fishing, which constitutes a key element in future relations between the Community and Morocco. On the subject of Morocco’s fisheries agreements with other countries, the Commission has no information about the intentions of the Moroccan authorities regarding renewal of them. On the subject of the Euro-Mediterranean agreement establishing an association between the Community and its Member States on the one hand and Morocco on the other, the Commission would like to point out that it has been concluded for an unlimited period. However, it is true that the Community and Morocco have committed themselves to examining, after 1 January 2000, the situation in trade in agricultural and fishery products with a view to arriving at greater liberalisation of mutual trade as from 1 January 2001