A European Union court has annulled EU-Morocco agriculture and fishing trade deals. Both parties a joint statement reiterating that they were agreed to without the consent of the people of Western Sahara.
Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said they would act to ensure continuity of the bilateral trade. “Necessary measures will be taken to ensure legal framework guaranteeing the continuation and stability of trade between the EU and Morocco”.
The EU is the North African kingdom’s largest trade partner and leading foreign investor, according to the 27-member bloc. Morocco and Spain are the countries most affected by the EU court’s decision.
Attached losses
Morocco is set to lose 52 million euros ($60m) annually, for four years, from the annulled fishing agreement alone. The initial pact would have allowed 128 vessels from 11 EU nations to fish in the waters off the western African coast. Ninety-two of those vessels are Spanish.
Western Sahara, a mineral-rich region, is a major point of contention for the North African nation. Rabat sees Western Sahara as its own territory, but neighbouring Algeria has backed a Western Sahara independence movement known as the Polisario Front. Polisario has sought the region’s independence since the end of Spain’s colonial rule in 1975.
“EU states and the UK have been complicit by the inclusion of Western Sahara in trade deals with Morocco, legitimising and providing material support for Moroccan occupation – in contravention of international law,” War on Want, a non-profit organisation focused on social justice, said in a statement following the EU court’s decision.
