The Input of Other Domestic Actors to the Fisheries Agreement

Abstract

The focus of the chapter is on the input of key sectoral and regional actors other than the central state to the negotiation of the 1995 EU–Morocco fisheries agreement. Chapter 6 highlighted the framework-setting role of the central state at EU level. The analysis of the mobilization of sectoral and regional actors throughout the negotiating rounds in this chapter provides a more complete analysis of the policy process. The Spanish government was expected by Commission officials to act cautiously over an issue which was far more explosive domestically than the dispute with Canada because few of the boats fishing in Moroccan waters were suitable for operating further afield. The focus is on the case of Andalusia, which is the region most economically dependent on the agreement in view of its lack of alternative fishing grounds, even if other regions such as the Canary Islands have larger fishing quotas in Moroccan waters.