EU-Morocco Agreement: Polisario Front to File New Appeal With ECJ Before Year-End
The Special Advisor to the Sahrawi President in charge of natural resources and legal affairs, Abi Bouchraya El Bachir, affirmed that the Polisario Front, the sole legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, will file a new appeal before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) by the end of this year regarding the recent agreement sealed between Morocco and the European Union (EU), and the trade and fishing agreements.
Abi Bouchraya El Bachir, said in a press statement: “The Polisario Front will file a new appeal against this agreement in December before the CJEU,” sharply criticizing the controversial labeling of Sahrawi products as “Moroccan,” in clear violation of European court rulings.
In this regard, he expressed the Polisario Front’s “firm” rejection of all agreements concluded between the two parties concerning Western Sahara, including agricultural and fishing agreements.
He recalled that the majority of the European Parliament MPs had opposed legislation on labeling products originating from Western Sahara, but the decision was blocked by a margin of just one vote.
The Sahrawi official emphasized that the latest agreement between Morocco and the European Union is illegal, given the CJEU’s affirmation that Western Sahara and Morocco are two distinct territories.
He pointed out that, since the designation “Western Sahara” is not accepted by the Moroccan occupier, the negotiators proposed adopting new names referring to the occupied regions of Dakhla and Laâyoune (the largest cities in the occupied territory). However, these designations are not compliant with European trade law, which requires stating the country of origin.
In this context, he highlighted the absence of the Sahrawi people’s consent in this agreement and stressed that justifying this lack of approval on the grounds of potential benefits for the local population through economic development is legally invalid.
The spokesperson reiterated that, following the 2024 CJEU ruling, there is a strong legal basis to prevent any form of exploitation of Western Sahara’s resources, including agricultural and marine products, energy, tourism, phosphates, and more.
He emphasized that the Polisario Front will continue to invoke this legal framework against companies involved in this economic colonization.
Civil society can play a role in this effort, he said, citing last Wednesday’s protests in southern France against the illegal import of cherry tomatoes as an example.
