ECJ Rules EU-Morocco Trade Deals Invalid in Western Sahara After Five Years

Oct 4, 2024, 10:45 AM

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the European Union's fisheries and agricultural agreements with Morocco, reached five years ago, are invalid in Western Sahara. The court stated that the EU Commission breached the rights of self-determination for the Sahrawi people by not including consultations with them in these deals. Additionally, the ECJ mandated that products harvested in Western Sahara must be labeled as originating from that territory, not Morocco. This decision marks a significant victory for the Polisario Front, the national liberation movement for the Sahrawi people.