The European Union (EU) and Morocco have noted that progress has been made in the amendments to be made to the agricultural trade agreement signed by both sides in 2012, on which European justice ruled last December that it is not applicable to Western Sahara.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement released after receiving Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita that the meeting is part of the many between the two sides “with the aim of deepening and deepening its association”.
“It has made it possible to note the progress made in the current negotiations with a view to amending the protocols to the agricultural agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Morocco,” said the European diplomat’s office, stating that both Mogherini and Bourita expressed their “determination common to complete it as soon as possible. “
The meeting, added the EU External Action Service in its communiqué, also served to address “the common challenges of Mediterranean countries and African countries, to which both countries reaffirmed their intention to jointly address” .
The European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled last December 21 that the pact signed in 2012 is valid because it does not expressly mention its application in Western Sahara, a territory that EU law does not consider part of the Alawi kingdom.
That decision partially invalidated the agreement in the part that affects the Western Sahara, since the court of Luxembourg considered that the Union did not verify if the exploitation of the resources had an impact on the population of that old Spanish colony, as claimed by the Polisario Front .
Since then, Brussels and Rabat have held technical and political meetings to try to update the agreement, always with respect to the community legislation.
Source: http://www.hortoinfo.es/index.php/6333-ue-maroc-251017 (10/25/2017)
