The European Court of Justice has canceled two trade agreements between the European Union and Morocco. It concerns the treaties for the import of fish and agricultural products from the North African country. The ruling follows an appeal filed by Polisario, the independence movement campaigning for self-determination in disputed Western Sahara.
Polisario believes that Morocco has no right to export tomatoes grown in Western Sahara to the EU. Also, according to the movement, no concessions should be made to European fishermen to fish in Western Sahara waters. They also believe that trade in these products should benefit the people of Western Sahara.
However, Morocco considers the region an integral part of its territory and does not see the movement as legitimate governance. The European Court has now ruled that Polisario is indeed an interested party and that Morocco must be transparent about which products come from Western Sahara.
parliamentary questions
In July of this year, MPs Gert-Jan Segers (ChristenUnie) and Roelof Bisschop (SGP) asked the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigrid Kaag for an explanation about the labeling of products from disputed areas.
Because Morocco labels goods from Western Sahara as ‘Moroccan products’, they can be purchased by European countries at a cheaper rate. For example, these products end up on the shelves of Dutch supermarkets without it being clear that they were produced in Western Sahara.
Appeal
The judgment of the European Court will not come into effect immediately. In this way, the rights of importers and exporters are guaranteed and the EU and Morocco have the opportunity to appeal against the ruling. Morocco has since announced that it will do so. Morocco and the EU have said in a joint statement that they will continue to work towards the stability and legal regulation of their trade relations.
Human rights organization Codesa, which is committed to the Sahrawi population in Western Sahara, is pleased with the ruling of the European Court of Justice. In a statement, the organization said the area is occupied by Morocco and that only the Sahrawis have exclusive rights to the revenues from Western Sahara’s natural resources.
Codesa points out that Polisario is internationally recognized as a representative of the Sahrawi people. The organization asks the European Union to ban European companies from “illegal trade” in goods from Western Sahara and from negotiating a new trade agreement with Polisario.
Escalation conflict
In November last year, a 29-year-old truce between Morocco and Polisario was broken after a military action by Morocco. That country was responding to a roadblock set up in the city of Guerguerat by Polisario sympathizers. 200 Moroccan truck drivers were therefore unable to deliver goods to Mauritania further south for weeks.
Shortly afterwards, former US President Donald Trump signed a decree that recognizes Western Sahara as Moroccan territory. Since then, Morocco has been trying to get other countries to follow this American decision.
The administration of President Joe Biden has not reversed the decision, but has indicated that it does not want to continue Trump’s line. The Americans first want a new agreement to be reached through the United Nations to end the armed conflict in Western Sahara.
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