PP rejects the EU-Morocco trade agreement because it “lacks the consent of the Sahrawi people”

Eduardo González The People's Party parliamentary group in Congress has urged the government to "reject" the application of the new trade agreement between the EU and Morocco because it "violates the rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU and lacks the consent of the Sahrawi people," and to "promote the incorporation into this agreement of an agricultural safeguard mechanism, inspired by and with the same ambition as that provided for in the EU-Mercosur Agreement." In a non-binding motion registered on March 26 for debate in the Joint Committee on the European Union, the PP recalls that, on October 2, 2015, the Council of the European Union approved a new trade agreement with the Kingdom of Morocco that modifies several protocols of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement, "barely a year after the Court of Justice of the European Union..." The European Court of Justice (CJEU) annulled the previous fishing and agriculture agreements because they were signed without the consent of the Sahrawi people.” “This agreement, negotiated in just five days, was adopted provisionally without the participation of the European Parliament, which has raised serious doubts about its legality, transparency, and consistency with the founding values of the Union,” the non-legislative proposal continues. “The European Commission did not fully and immediately inform Parliament,” which contravenes the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and constitutes “a serious violation of the principles of democratic control and the European rule of law,” the People’s Party (PP) warns. The CJEU ruling of October 4, 2024, “is clear,” according to the People’s Party: “Western Sahara has a separate and distinct legal status from the Kingdom of Morocco” and, therefore, “any agreement that includes this territory requires the express consent of its people, as well as verification that the resulting benefits reach the Sahrawi population in a ‘specific, tangible, and verifiable’ way,” it adds. “Without However, the PP asserts, the Commission's own representatives have admitted that they "cannot guarantee" that these benefits will materialize, which makes this new agreement an act contrary to the principle of international law and the Court's rulings. Furthermore, the Popular Group believes that, "from an economic standpoint, the agreement poses a direct threat to Spanish agriculture." "Our farmers, especially those in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, compete with imports of Moroccan products—many of them grown in Western Sahara—without guarantees of traceability, labeling, or production conditions equivalent to those required in the European Union," the PP denounces. "Spain cannot endorse agreements that violate European court rulings or legitimize the occupation of a territory pending decolonization, recognized as such by the United Nations," the text warns. "The Spanish Government, however, has maintained a passive and complicit attitude toward this trend," it laments. "Following President (Pedro) Sánchez's unilateral shift in 2022, supporting the plan “With Morocco’s declaration of autonomy for Western Sahara, Spain has lost credibility and leadership capacity in defending a European foreign policy based on International Law,” the Popular Group denounces. According to the non-legislative proposal, “this decision, adopted without consensus or parliamentary debate, represents an unacceptable concession of a central element of our foreign policy and our historical position regarding Western Sahara.” “Europe cannot afford to ignore the rulings of its own Court or compromise its founding principles,” because “the defense of the rule of law, legal certainty, and the legitimate interests of European citizens must prevail above all else,” it concludes. Therefore, the non-legislative proposal urges the Government to “reject the application of the new trade agreement between the EU and Morocco, insofar as it violates the rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU and lacks the consent of the Sahrawi people, demanding its immediate suspension until compliance with International Law is guaranteed,” and to “promote the incorporation of an agricultural safeguard mechanism into the Agreement between the European Union and Morocco.” inspired by and with the same ambition as that foreseen in the EU-Mercosur Agreement.”

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