In disregard of two EU Court rulings, the EU Member States have today authorized the EU Commission to negotiations with Morocco for a new fisheries protocol that will also cover occupied Western Sahara.
Two months after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that no Fisheries Partnership between the EU and Morocco can be applied to Western Sahara, the EU Council voted in favour of negotiating a new fisheries protocol with Morocco that will include the waters of occupied Western Sahara.
The EU Commission announced its intention to start the talks with Morocco one month ago. The text of the negotiation mandate was released at the same time, stating that the EU considers that "it is possible to extend the bilateral agreements with Morocco to Western Sahara under certain conditions", but that the arrangement is subject to a resolution of the conflict in a UN context.
Sweden had stated it would oppose a mandate for a new protocol in February 2018 "because Sweden considers that the proposed mandate does not meet the requirements of international law."
On 27 February this year, the EU Court of Justice ruled that the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement is only legally valid if it is not applied to Western Sahara. The ruling was in line with the Court's previous ruling of December 2016, concluding that no EU trade or association agreement could be applied to Western Sahara - due to its "separate and distinct" status - without the consent of the people of that territory.
These firms want to supply Morocco with energy from occupied land
GE Vernova, Siemens Energy and Larsen & Toubro are among the multinationals that have reportedly expressed interest to aid Morocco transport energy generated in occupied Western Sahara to Morocco proper.
Macron sending French companies into deep waters
At a time when the French government is ignoring all international law in Western Sahara, it places its own companies in serious risk, WSRW warns.
Ryanair announces flights to occupied territory
The Irish airline has announced a new route to Dakhla in “Morocco”, praising the occupying power for its ”support and vision in securing this major investment".
This is how much the EU took from the Saharawis
… in just one year, and under the EU-Morocco trade agreement alone.