During a press conference last week, Polisario invited the Union to conversations on continuation of fisheries offshore Western Sahara.
Photo : Moroccan police officers near a port in occupied Western Sahara.
The representative of Polisario for the EU, Oubi Bouchraya Bachir, annnounced on 1 October during a press conference in Madrid, that Poliario is ready “to help Spanish fishermen, but in the framework established during the latest legal decision” - referring to the landmark ruling by the EU Court of Justice on 29 September.
In its decision, the Court annulled the trade and fisheries agreements between the Union and Morocco, as they were applied to Western Sahara. The court concluded that the people of the territory, through its UN representative Polisario, had not consented to the extension of the two agreements.
Spain - still considered the legal coloial power in Western Sahara - har a large interest in the EU's fisheries agreement with Morocco. 91 out of the 128 EU vessels that are authorised to fish under the agreement are Spanish. Following yesterday's decision, the governor of Andalucia - one of the principal fisheries regions in Spain - called on the Spanish government to appeal the decision.
The European institutions have 2 month and 10 days to file an appeal. Observer etimate that it is little likely that the Court will reach another conclusion than the one concluded yesterday.
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.