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The European Union has reiterated its strong commitment to maintaining its strategic partnership with Morocco, emphasizing the long-standing and multifaceted nature of their cooperation.
The EU commission issued a joint statement by president von de Leyen and High Representative Josep Borrel in light of today’s ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The joint statement said the EU remains determined to strengthen its relations with Morocco across all areas of their partnership, aiming to elevate this collaboration in the coming weeks and months.
“The EU reiterates the high value it attaches to its strategic Partnership with Morocco, which is long-standing, wide-ranging and deep,” the statement said, noting that the two parties established a deep cooperation and friendship that they both intend to take to the next level.
The statement concluded that the EU Commission is now assessing the court’s ruling in detail, conveying that the European Union and Morocco are firmly intending to preserve and continue boosting close relations in all areas of the morocco-EU Partnership.
Earlier today, the court ruled that the EU Commission “violated the right of self-determination of Western Sahara’s population” by concluding trade agreements with Morocco that included products from Morocco’s southern provinces.
“The consent of the people of Western Sahara to the implementation is a condition for the validity of the decisions by which the (EU)Council approved those agreements on behalf of the European Union” the court said.
It also suggested that products such as tomatoes and melons from the region should be labeled to indicate their origin.
The statement aligns with the claims of the separatist Polisario Front and Algeria, the group’s main sponsor in its decades-long challenge to Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Blatant political bias
In response to the court’s hostile verdict, Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the country does not consider the ECJ’s ruling as relevant or important for its agricultural or fisheries agreements with the EU.
“Morocco is not a party to this case, which involves the European Union on one side and the ‘polisario’ supported by Algeria on the other. Morocco did not participate in any phase of this procedure and, therefore, does not consider itself concerned by the decision,” the ministry said.
The court’s ruling contains legal errors and suspicious mistakes, the ministry argued, noting that this indicates a “complete misunderstanding of the realities of the case, if not a blatant political bias.”
The ministry further accused the court of attempts to substitute itself for competent UN bodies, contradicting their positions and approaches.
“In fact, the UK High Court demonstrated more discernment, impartiality and legal mastery in a similar case,” the ministry said, referencing the British court’s ruling in May last year – which rejected the appeal request of pro-Polisario NGO WSC against the Morocco-UK Association Agreement.
The Moroccan foreign ministry concluded its statement by demanding the EU Council, the European Commission, and EU member states to take all measures to respect their international commitments and preserve their partnership agreements with Rabat.
It also called on the EU parties to provide Morocco with the legal certainty that “it is legitimately entitled as a partner of the EU on various strategic issues.”
Morocco, the ministry concluded, will stand by its position of rejecting “any agreement or legal instrument that does not respect its territorial integrity and national unity.”
