EP to Discuss Impact of EU-Morocco Agreement on Western Sahara Peace Process
A conference on the impact of the European Union-Morocco trade agreement on the future of the UN-led peace process in Western Sahara will be held on Wednesday at the European Parliament (EP) headquarters in Brussels. The event is being organized by EP’s “Friends of the Sahrawi People” group in, in collaboration with the European Coordination for Support and Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (EUCOCO).
This conference will provide an opportunity to discuss the latest EU-Morocco agreement on liberalization measures for agricultural products, which was negotiated in secret and entered into force in October.
The aim is to analyze the impact of this agreement, which is described as being concluded in flagrant violation of the rulings of the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) and international law, on the UN-led peace process in Western Sahara.
In two rulings issued on October 4, 2024, the CJEU confirmed that Western Sahara is a distinct and separate territory from Morocco and that no agreement between the EU and Morocco can be applied there without the prior consent of the Sahrawi people. This jurisprudence builds on previous rulings (2016, 2018, 2021) and reiterates that the EU is bound to respect the principle of self-determination enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter.
The debate will be moderated by European Parliament Member Andreas Schieder, President of the “Friends of the Sahrawi People” group. Members of the European Parliament Pernando Barrena and Ana Miranda Paz will also participate in the discussion, alongside Pierre Galand, President of the EUCOCO Task Force, and Oubi Bouchraya, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the Polisario Front.
Galand is expected to stress the importance of the UN reaffirming the legal framework of the decolonization process for this territory and ensuring that no attempt at annexing Western Sahara “is legitimized.” The EUCOCO President will also address United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 concerning Western Sahara, which was adopted on October 31.
