EU-Morocco trade deals in Western Sahara ruled invalid, Rabat claims ‘bias’
Al Jazeera
Morocco slams ECJ ruling that said the people of Western Sahara were not consulted before the 2019 deals were signed.
The European Union’s top court has confirmed an earlier ruling cancelling trade deals that allow Morocco to export fish and farm products to the EU from the disputed Western Sahara region, a move Morocco slammed as “blatant political bias”.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Friday ruled that the European Commission breached the right of people in Western Sahara to self-determination by concluding trade deals with Morocco.
The Commission said it would examine the ECJ judgement in detail, while Morocco condemned it.
The ruling contained legal errors and “suspicious factual mistakes”, Morocco’s foreign ministry said in a statement, urging the European Council, the Commission and member states to uphold their commitments and preserve the assets of the partnership with Morocco.
Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975 and Morocco annexed the territory.
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