EU-Morocco Trade Deal: Spanish Organizations Condemn Prioritizing Interests Over Law
The Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers’ Organisations in the province of Almeria condemned the European Commission’s prioritizing of political and economic interests over the European Court of Justice’s decisions in the recent trade deal with Morocco, which included products from occupied Western Sahara, calling on the EU Parliament to fully reject this deal.
According to local news reports, the Spanish organization expressed its deep dismay at the Spanish parliamentarians’ support of labelling products from Western Sahara bearing “misleading labels” and being marketed as Moroccan products, effectively prioritizing interests over the ruling of the European Court of Justice issued on 4 October 2024.
The association also expressed regret over the European Parliament vote on the two objections that were filed regarding the inclusion of Western Saharan products as Moroccan goods.
Most European Parliament members voted against legislation requiring products from Western Sahara to be labeled during last month’s plenary session, but the measure failed by just a single vote.
The association underlined that both objections aimed to block the European Commission’s decision and compel it to withdraw the amendment, as it violates EU food labeling regulations and contradicts two European Court of Justice rulings requiring Sahrawi consent for any EU-Morocco agreement, given that Morocco and Western Sahara are separate and distinct territories.
