EU Court Annuls Morocco Fishing Deal, Polisario Hails Victory in Western Sahara Dispute

With this decision handed down on Friday, the European Court is giving reason to the Polisario, which had requested the cancellation of this agreement, on the grounds that the "consent" of the Sahrawi people had to be required before its conclusion. Western Sahara is a "different territory" from Morocco which cannot negotiate and sign any agreement with third parties on its behalf, said Abdullah Arabi, the Polisario’s representative in Spain.

In a statement to Europa Press, he stressed that the acceptance of the Moroccan government as the representative of the Sahrawi people amounts to establishing "the recognition of the occupation". The Polisario’s representative in Spain says he hopes that European countries will respect the Court’s ruling, reaffirming the "willingness" of the independence movement to facilitate access to the resources of the Sahara to companies in the agriculture and fishing sectors, in compliance with international law.

Contrary to the EU court which ruled in 2021 that the consent of the Sahrawi people was not necessary before the signing of the EU-Morocco agreement and that this agreement does not create legal obligations for them but advantages, the Court of Justice of the EU has canceled the agreement, arguing that the consent of the Sahrawi people for the exploitation of their natural resources cannot be presumed and that the opposition of the Polisario Front to this agreement is sufficient to call into question the existence of consent.