The puzzle of the cancellation of fishing and agricultural agreements between the European Union and Morocco | EUROtoday

” L’Moroccan Sahara affair, considered by all Moroccans as their first national cause. » It is with these words that King Mohammed VI described the latest developments in the Sahara issue, to which he devoted his annual speech opening the legislative session. Although traditionally focused on the priorities of the internal political agenda, the Cherifian sovereign has chosen this time to also address his partners, particularly European ones, at a time when relations between Morocco and the EU are under review. the ordeal due to the verdict of the European justice on the file of fishing and agricultural agreements. On October 4, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that “the 2019 EU-Morocco trade agreements on fishing and agricultural products” had been established “without the consent of the people of Western Sahara”.

“Morocco does not consider itself in any way concerned by the decision of the CJEU,” Moroccan diplomacy immediately reacted. The Shereef kingdom, which did not participate in the different phases of this procedure, believes that this affair concerns above all the European Union and the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria. And denounces “a blatant political bias” by the Luxembourg court. For the Moroccan authorities, the European body has demonstrated a lack of understanding of the geopolitical realities of the matter. “This decision is completely out of step with the reality of the Moroccan Sahara issue,” declared Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the press. According to him, Morocco will never accept an agreement or a legal text which does not respect its territorial integrity while the decision of the CJEU could be legally binding at the time when negotiations begin around the next fishing agreement, the one targeted by the verdict having expired since July 2023, that on agriculture maintained for twelve months.

Crucial support from France and Europe

Above all, this judgment comes at a time when the support of several European countries for Moroccan sovereignty over this disputed territory has increased. In fact, the immediate repercussions of this decision remain symbolic for Rabat. As an economic advisor who requested anonymity explains, “Morocco could even emerge diplomatically strengthened thanks to the increased support of its European partners.” Indeed, several European countries were quick to express their support for the strategic relationship they maintain with the Shereef kingdom. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs declared that “the strategic partnership with Morocco is fundamental and must be preserved, whatever the judicial decisions”. In the same way, the Quai d’Orsay recalled that “France stays dedicated to an distinctive partnership with Morocco”, stressing that these bilateral relations must remain solid despite the legal upheavals.

At a time when economic relations with the European Union seem to be directly affected by this decision, France’s diplomatic support appears more crucial than ever. Moreover, King Mohammed VI did not fail to welcome this support: “Here is the French Republic which supports the sovereignty of Morocco over the entire territory of the Sahara and which supports the autonomy initiative within the framework of Moroccan territorial integrity as the only basis for the settlement of this artificial regional conflict. » By expressing his “deep gratitude” to President Emmanuel Macron, who will soon travel to Morocco for a state visit awaited for several years already, the Cherifian sovereign thus underlined the strategic importance of this support, not only because the France is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council but also because it knows perfectly the complex issues of this regional conflict.

This privileged partnership with France is reinforced by the support of several other European countries, including Morocco’s Iberian neighbor. “Friendly Spain which knows well the hidden mechanisms of this affair and whose position has a strong political and historical resonance. The same goes for most countries in the European Union,” the monarch recalled to elected officials on Friday October 11.

While the Sahara issue continues to be the prism through which Rabat considers its international environment, the King of Morocco took this opportunity to thank “all of the international locations which deal, economically and within the type of investments, with the provinces south of the dominion as an integral a part of the nationwide territory”. If Morocco seems to have the ability to overcome this resolution, the repercussions for sure European international locations, notably Spain and Portugal, may very well be extra extreme.

What financial challenges for Europe?

The resolution of the European Court may even profit Morocco, in response to the publication director of As Is. For Yassine Majdi, “the text allowed European boats to fish in the waters of [leurs] southern provinces in return for a few tens of millions of euros. A real boon for Europe, which thus avoids social discontent in its fishing sector.” If the fishing agreements allowed round 128 European vessels, primarily Spanish, to fish in Saharan waters, producing round 52 million euros per 12 months for Morocco, their cancellation may subsequently disrupt the fishing ecosystem in Spain, notably within the areas of Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Galicia, whose fleets rely on these agreements to take care of their financial actions. Kamal Sabri, president of the Atlantic Maritime Fisheries Chamber, highlighted on Médias24 the operators’ incomprehension of this verdict, specifying that “the European Union only receives 20% of Moroccan sardine exports because the African market has opened its doors wide to [leurs] sardines.” This diversification should make it possible to reduce the direct economic impact of the cancellation of fishing and agricultural agreements on Moroccans.

On the agricultural aspect, European firms established within the south of Morocco, and which profit from preferential tariffs on agricultural merchandise, are additionally affected by the European resolution. This challenge raises considerations each for French, Spanish and Portuguese operators and for European buyers within the area. Beyond the financial elements, the guts of the controversy stays, for Rabat, the query of Western Sahara.

The Sahara challenge, a crimson line for Rabat

During a press convention, the Minister of Foreign Affairs described the CJEU resolution as a “non-event”, stressing that it’s “out of step with the reality” of the Sahara challenge. And to specify that this resolution could have “no impact” on the worldwide dynamic of help for the Moroccan place, including that it has not provoked “any reaction from the United Nations”. In this wake, King Mohammed VI additionally highlighted the rising help of the worldwide neighborhood for the Moroccan character of the Sahara, help which is extending to influential powers. “We managed to obtain the recognition of influential countries, also permanent members of the Security Council, such as the United States of America and France,” recalled the monarch. Supporting figures. No lower than 29 international locations have opened consulates within the Saharan cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla, reflecting a diplomatic shift in favor of Morocco. “These tangible signs reinforce the international recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara,” feedback Hicham Kasraoui, member of the Moroccan Institute of Strategic Intelligence (Imis). “Morocco has succeeded, over the years, in building a diplomatic consensus around its position which, let us say it, is the only realistic, constructive solution and truly aimed at the service of local populations to resolve this conflict,” provides -he. Thanks to substantial tasks, such because the Morocco-Nigeria gasoline pipeline, the Sahara area is right now changing into a strategic bridge between Africa and Europe. The coming months will likely be essential for the way forward for these relations. The European Union finds itself going through a serious problem: reconciling its authorized obligations whereas sustaining a significant strategic partnership with Morocco. And this, in a context the place the Shereef kingdom intends to not give in a single iota on the query of its sovereignty.