Advocate General’s Recent Conclusions on EU-Morocco Agreements: Implications and Recommendations / Sahara
The recent conclusions of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union detail the progress made in the appeals filed by the EU Council and the European Commission against the decision of the Court of First Instance regarding agricultural and fisheries agreements with Morocco.
It is important to note that these conclusions represent only a preliminary stage in the ongoing procedure. The Advocate General emphasized the importance of maintaining the validity of the agricultural agreement between Morocco and the EU while also highlighting the implications for the fisheries agreement and Morocco’s aspirations to modernize this collaboration. She also rejected the “polisario” representative claims and confirmed the EU’s right to conclude agreements with Morocco covering its Southern provinces.
In this context, it is imperative for European institutions to take responsibility to protect this partnership against any political manipulation or procedural maneuvering, given the crucial importance of this matter.
The rejection of the “polisario” representative claims also underscores the need to clarify the legal and political foundations surrounding the Western Sahara issue, which reinforces the legitimacy of agreements concluded by Morocco and confirms its role as a competent authority to engage with the EU on these matters.
Furthermore, the Advocate General recommends the annulment of the Court of First Instance’s ruling and the maintenance of the validity of the agricultural agreement between Morocco and the EU, thus confirming its legality and validity. Her recommendations also highlight the non-recognition of the “polisario” as the sole representative of the people of Western Sahara by the United Nations or the European Union, and reject a request to ban EU imports of agricultural products from the Southern provinces, thereby paving the way for continued trade between Morocco and the EU in this sector.
