CAMPAIGNERS have hailed a major victory after the EU Court of Justice annulled trade and fishing agreements between the bloc and Morocco.
The ruling relates to deals involving mineral-rich Western Sahara. The Luxembourg-based court says those were made without the consent of the Sahrawi people.
Western Sahara Resource Watch said: "The ruling marks a momentous victory for the people of Western Sahara. It is now time for the EU institutions to introduce a strict policy of differentiation on Western Sahara."
Morocco annexed the lands of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975 but an independence movement continues there. That's after a 1991 ceasefire brokered between Morocco and the Polisario Front by the United Nations ended a 16-year guerilla campaign against Rabat's authority.
The court ruled that because Western Sahara is not a part of Morocco, its waters are not covered by the EU-Morocco deal and should not stand.
It said the rights of the Sahrawi people had not been respected and the EU should not have replaced their consent with the argument of "benefits". However, the deals will remain in place temporarily to allow for a solution to be found.
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The ruling will have a major affect on both Morocco and Spain, which has more than 90 fishing vessels there. Allowing EU crews access to the waters makes around 52 million euros a year for Rabat.
In a joint statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita vowed to "ensure the legal framework which guarantees the continuity and stability of trade relations" between the parties.
WSRW said a new EU policy of differentiation on Western Sahara would "provide much needed clarity for the people of Western Sahara, EU operators and also Morocco".
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