On 12 February, an agreement was approved on the legal, environmental, economic and social governance of EU vessels destined for fishing activities in Morocco. The new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA), waiting now to be authorized by the EU Council, has different objectives and uses: promoting sustainable fishing by following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, improving the relations between the EU and Morocco enabling them to promote a sustainable fisheries policy and supporting “Morocco’s efforts to develop the fisheries sector and a blue economy” said the press release. Replacing the one that expired in July 2018, the new agreement is set to remain in force for an indefinite period and the protocol, setting the fishing opportunities, will be applied for four years. This new protocol gives EU vessels access to Moroccan waters in exchange of financial compensation. 415 MEPs voted for the agreement guaranteeing “that the adoption of the agreement will not prejudice the political process on the final status of Western Sahara” and assessing that it will be “beneficial to local people in this region”. While the EU and Morocco celebrated the agreement, the Polisario Front criticized it, and the Human Rights Watch launched an appeal to all MEPs to refer the agreement to the EU Court of Justice over serious concerns about the compatibility with international humanitarian law during the vote session.