Rabat – Lawyer Genevra Forwood has said that the European Court of Justice’s decision on Morocco-EU fisheries and agriculture agreements will “not change anything on the ground for economic operators.”
The lawyer’s remarks follow the court’s ruling, published earlier today, to annul agreements between the EU and Morocco on fisheries and agriculture.
The court’s ruling conceded, however, that the decision will have no immediate effects because the cancellation of the agreements “with immediate effect is likely to have serious consequences on the external action of the European Union.”
According to the verdict, the court will maintain the agreements for a “certain period” to preserve the “external action for the European Union and legal certainty of its international commitments.”
Forwood told Morocco’s state media today that the ruling is “not final” and will not have any tangible impact on the ground for Moroccan and EU economic operators in the agriculture and fishing sectors.
“There is no legal impact on the agricultural and fisheries agreements between Morocco and the EU, she said, adding that there will be an “appeal before the Court of Justice of the EU against the verdict.”
Critics of the EU-Morocco deals have traditionally claimed that the agreements do not benefit local populations in Morocco’s southern provinces and constitute an “illegal exploitation” of Western Sahara resources.
In a December 2020 report on the EU-Morocco agriculture agreement, however, the European Commission emphasized the deals’ benefits for the southern provinces. It also stressed that despite the COVID-19 crisis, locals in the region have significantly taken advantage of Morocco-EU economic cooperation.
Despite an ongoing campaign by Polisario and Algeria to smear the EU-Morocco deals, Brussels and Rabat have pledged to continue their win-win cooperation and boost their important partnership in the fisheries and agriculture sectors.
Hours within the publication of the court’s verdict, Morocco and the EU issued a joint statement in which they announced taking note of the ruling.
“We will take the necessary measures to ensure the legal framework which guarantees the continuation and stability of trade relations between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco,” said the statement. It went on to stress the two parties’ commitment to continue to cooperate in a climate of “serenity and commitment to consolidate” their partnership launched in June 2019.
