On 24 April 2018, the liberation movement of Western Sahara brought action against the EU Council for concluding an aviation agreement with Morocco that includes the territory of Western Sahara.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has learned that Polisario on 24 April this year initiatied a case to halt the application of EU-Morocco aviation agreement in Western Sahara.
Find the summary of the application submitted by Polisario with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) here.
Polisario requested the annulment of the agreement, arguing that the concluding parties, Morocco and the EU, are not competent to conclude such an agreement covering Western Sahara.
The Kingdom of Morocco was the first country outside Europe to sign such Aviation Agreement with the EU. The aviation deal with Morocco has been provisionally in force since December 2006. In February 2014, the EU Commission proposed an amended version of the deal, accounting for changes within the EU (three new Member States since 2006, and the Lisbon Treaty). This amendment was approved by the European Parliament in October 2017. The Member States concluded the deal on 22 January 2018.
On 16 May 2018, the Commission stated in the European Parliament that it is "currently examining if recent jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice has any implications for the Euro Mediterranean Aviation Agreement".
The Advocate General of the EU’s top Court backs the legal status of the people of Western Sahara. Final Judgment expected in a few months.
Labelling those products as originating in the Kingdom of Morocco instead of originating in Western Sahara breaches EU law, the Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice concludes.
After undertaking work for the Moroccan state phosphate company in Western Sahara, the Danish consultancy giant COWI states that it “will not engage in further projects" in the occupied territory.
An external evaluation report on the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement 2019-2023 confirms that the agreement revolves, in its entirety, around Western Sahara.