BRUSSELS, March 12, 2025 – Nordic representatives in the European Parliament have condemned Morocco’s engagement of a Danish consulting firm to promote the illicit exploitation of Sahrawi fishery and agricultural products in Europe, announcing their decision to blacklist this firm.
“We urge you to sever all direct or indirect ties with the illegal and immoral occupation of Western Sahara and its people. Until you do so, you will remain on our blacklist,” the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) stated in a declaration directed at the Danish firm Rud Pedersen (RP).
“Working for an occupying power, whether directly or indirectly, is not only morally indefensible but also contributes to a more unstable world,” asserted leftist MEPs Per Clausen (Denmark), Hanna Gedin (Sweden), Jonas Sjöstedt (Sweden), and Jussi Saramo (Finland).
“As Nordic parliamentarians, we are well aware of the public affairs firm Rud Pedersen. Perhaps naively, we hoped it would adhere to certain ethical standards… It seems we were mistaken,” they lamented.
The lawmakers expressed their “surprise and disgust” upon learning from NGOs that Morocco had enlisted RP to assist in lobbying efforts regarding controversial trade and fishing agreements with the European Union (EU).
“This issue was brought to light by Africa Intelligence, which reported last December that the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) commissioned RP to lobby in Brussels, revealing numerous connections between CGEM and the Moroccan government. Notably, RP, through its London office, recruited the daughter of the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs,” the European lawmakers detailed.
They reminded that RP itself had claimed to be “lobbying on trade and agriculture issues” for Morocco, asserting that the Makhzen “constantly seeks to finalize various agreements with the EU, including resources from illegally occupied Western Sahara, despite neither the EU nor the UN recognizing the legality of such practices.”
“It is crucial to connect this matter to the historic ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union on October 4, 2024, which reaffirmed the 2021 decision that annulled the contentious fishing agreement and the EU-Morocco trade agreements of 2019 that unlawfully included occupied Western Sahara,” the MEPs recalled.
“There should be no need to reiterate that goods from illegally occupied territories cannot and must not be included in trade agreements with the EU,” the legislators emphasized.
They also reminded that “the prolonged occupation, repression, and exploitation of Western Sahara by Morocco is unequivocally illegal, as confirmed by the UN’s classification of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. This type of behavior and exploitation is something we, as leftist politicians, will always oppose.”
Additionally, the MEPs delivered a direct message to the Danish firm: “What you are doing—indirectly representing an occupying power through its commercial interests—is immoral and contradicts Nordic values and standards. We cannot and do not wish to support it. Therefore, we inform you that as long as you continue to advocate for the interests of an occupying power like Morocco, directly or indirectly, we will refuse to meet with you, not just on matters related to Morocco or Western Sahara, but on any issue.”
Nordic lawmakers have announced that they are “actively encouraging our colleagues in the European Parliament to adopt a similar approach. Those who support the occupation should not be welcomed.”
