Western Sahara
The European Union promised to maintain a farm deal with Morocco, seeking to reassure Rabat that the accord was not endangered by an EU court ruling that the country’s trade accords do not apply to the disputed Western Sahara region.
Morocco’s government warned the European Union that its failure to fully implement a joint agriculture deal would have severe consequences
The Washington Times highlighted the considerable achievement that the Frente Polisario gained in the international sphere in its struggle for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
See statement and press conference held in Brussels.
The highest Court of the European Union this morning found that EU’s trade agreement with Morocco cannot be implemented in Western Sahara.
From this winter on, Swiss supermarkets will probably, for the first time, no longer sell tomatoes from occupied Western Sahara.
Western Sahara is not part of Moroccan territory and therefore the EU-Morocco Association Agreement is not applicable to it: an advocate general at the Court of Justice in Brussels.
The large increase of plantation infrastructure in occupied Western Sahara at the time when Morocco and the EU were negotiating a trade agreement suggests that the Moroccan government and the Moroccan/French companies involved had expected the trade agreement to go through.
The European Court of Justice is due to hear a case on Tuesday (19 July) examining the EU’s role in facilitating exploitation of Africa’s last colony by one of Europe’s close allies.
The EU Court has now officially confirmed that five EU Member States will intervene in favour of Morocco in the proceedings to reverse the Court’s decision to halt imports from occupied Western Sahara through a trade deal with Morocco.
A handful of EU Member States will intervene in the European Court proceedings in favour of Morocco, asking the Court to reverse its decision to cancel the EU-Morocco trade deal in occupied Western Sahara.
The Danish parliament unanimously passed a motion on Western Sahara that urges Danish companies and the Danish public sector not to trade with Africa’s last colony.
The head for fruits and vegetables at COAG is requesting in the European Parliament for the immediate implementation of the ruling cancelling the agreement for free agricultural trade between the EU and Morocco because of the illegal inclusion of Western Sahara.
All four members states of the EFTA free trade association conclude in the same way as the Court of Justice of the European Union. Goods from Western Sahara cannot be inluded in free trade agreements with Morocco.
Two Canadian companies, Agrium and PotashCorp, were behind two thirds of all imports of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
Human Rights Watch states that "countries should not import goods produced in Western Sahara labeled as Made in Morocco or under preferential tariff agreements with Morocco".
The European Union has appealed the judgement from the EU Court of Justice.
The European Court of Justice has this morning ordered the annulment of a trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union since it includes the territory of Western Sahara.
A proposed agreement on protective measures for products linked to specific geographical locations, fails manifestly in understanding the geographic stretch of Morocco.
In refering the case on the questionable legality of UK imports from Western Saharan products to the European Court of Justice, the UK Judge stated that "there is an arguable case of a manifest error by the [European] Commission in understanding and applying international law relevant to these agreements.”
