European Farmers Condemn EU-Morocco Agricultural Deal as Illegal for Including Western Sahara Products
European farmers and cattle breeders have voiced outrage and harsh criticism of the new agricultural agreement signed between the European Union and Morocco, denouncing what they describe as deeply flawed EU agricultural policies.
The farmers argue that the deal is illegal, as it violates a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) which invalidated the previous agreement for including products originating from Western Sahara. They also lament that the European Parliament was not consulted before the deal was pushed forward. Despite the court’s decision, the new agreement once again extends trade advantages to goods from Western Sahara, a territory that the EU’s highest court has ruled to be separate and distinct from Morocco.
Speaking to El Independiente, Andrés Góngora, a representative of the Spanish agricultural union COAG, announced that his organization is already preparing legal action before the CJEU. “It is there that we will appeal again to prevent this gravely unjust act from moving forward,” he warned.
The dispute comes after the CJEU struck down the previous EU-Morocco agricultural and fisheries deal on October 4, 2024, on the grounds that Western Sahara is not part of Morocco, as Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 following Spain’s withdrawal.
The Polisario Front, which represents the Sahrawi people, strongly rejected the new agreement, declaring that it will use all available legal means to defend Sahrawi rights. In a statement released on Friday, Polisario confirmed it will also challenge the deal, which effectively replaces the 2018 agreement annulled by prior CJEU rulings.
