Photo above: Saharawis demonstrate against EU plans to fish in Western Sahara, 7 Dec 2013. More than 20 injured.
"Today's decision by the European Parliament flies in the face of the people of Western Sahara. The Saharawi have under international law the right to be heard on economic activities taking place in their land under occupation. The EU has today neglected those rights. All EU's rethorics of Human Rights Day today proves to be shallow", states Erik Hagen, chair of Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW).
204 parliamentarians voted against the agreement, while 310 voted for. 49 abstained.
The owners of the stocks are either living under brutal Morocan occupation, or in refugee camps in Algeria. More than 100 UN resolutions call for their right to self-determination. No state recognise Morocco's claims to Western Sahara.
Last weekend, a Saharawi demonstration in the capital of Western Sahara, protesting the EU’s plans to fish in occupied waters, was violently dispersed by the Moroccan police. More than 20 were injured. The situation is growing ever more tense, as more and more Saharawis are increasingly frustrated with the EU’s consistency in choosing Morocco as a partner for business in their land, while turning a blind eye on the gross and systematic human rights violations that Morocco perpetrates in the territory.
Instead Morocco will be paid for 40 million € per year in exchange for access to non-Moroccan waters.
Apart from violating international law and disrespecting a people’s fundamental right to self-determiantion, the protocol is also bad business for the fish stocks in the area. A Greenpeace report, urged the EU not to approve, of environmental concerns.
One of the richest coastlines in the world
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.
The CJEU Court Cases
Keeping track of the many legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara is not easy. This page offers an overview of the cases concerning the territory that have been before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Tūhana human rights advisors ignore human rights
A consultancy hired to assess phosphate imports from occupied Western Sahara into New Zealand concludes there is no problem.
MEPs push back on Commission over Western Sahara in EU–Morocco trade
MEPs from across the political spectrum sharply criticised the European Commission over its handling of EU-Morocco trade relations covering occupied Western Sahara, raising concerns over legality, transparency and an apparent disregard for Parliament’s role.